Lure of the Night @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Table of Contents � Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 LURE OF THE NIGHT (BOOK 1, VAMPIRE WINTER SAGA) by Bethany Knox Swordworks Books Copyright © 2011 by Bethany Knox All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.� The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Chapter 1 �ŚWeirdo’. Their shouts and catcalls echoed in my ears as I made my way home. I had half a mile to walk and every step was heavy, leaden, it seemed like I was walking a gauntlet of misery. For I was not alone, never alone. My tormentors wouldn’t just leave me, oh no. Around the corner by McAlister’s Hardware, the old store festooned with pots and pans, tools and pieces of odd shaped machinery, along the short row of decaying businesses, a couple of empty shops, the diner, the hairdressers and then past Nathan’s Wood, named after some bloody Civil War battle. They said that the souls of the dead walked the wood at night, but I doubted it, dead was dead. Every Monday afternoon when Mom was doing her Yoga class, or whatever silly trend she and her cronies were into these days, I had to walk home. There was no bus, we lived on a quiet country lane that was well away from the bus routes. �ŚThey’ knew the score, had latched on very early, knew which day I would be easy meat for them. �ŚThey’ made sure that they were ready for me, for the �Śweirdo’. Trouble was, I did feel different, knew I was different. But how? I’d spent my whole life trying to work that one out. �śHello, Claire.” �ŚThey’ were here.� Stella Ryan stepped out in front of me, her pale blue eyes flashed with angry spite.� �śWhere’re you going, Claire?” I sighed. Jesus, not again, not every week! �śI’m going home, Stella.” �śYeah? That’s nice, ain’t it, James?” James McCreedy stepped out from behind her and confronted me. �śAren’t you coming with us then, Claire, have some fun? I can think of lots of things we can do in the woods across the road.” �śNo.” �śShit, that’s just too bad, isn’t it, Stella?” The other girl nodded, her face screwed up in malicious enjoyment. That was the problem, of course. I didn’t want anything to do with them, or anybody else for that matter. Ever since my Pa went away with another woman, Megan Waterhouse who used to live in the big house at the other end of town, I’d been hit with a double whammy. The folks from that end of town harbored even more of a grudge against me and my family from that day on, as if I had been crazy enough to persuade my father to run off with another woman. And ever since he did leave, I found I didn’t want to know anyone, I was content to work things out for myself. Mom kept trying to persuade me to pick up with some of the girls from school, but I wasn’t interested. I knew I could rely on myself, no one else. Until I worked things out differently, that’s the way it would be. But they still couldn’t leave me alone. James lunged forward and grabbed hold of my schoolbag. �śWhat are you carrying in there, Claire?” �śLeave it, James, you know it’s only my school stuff.” He tipped it all out onto the sidewalk. I mean, like, everything, all of my books, cosmetics, money, personal things, all of it, strewn over the sidewalk. Then he threw the bag down on top of it. �śI’m checking you haven’t got anything in there like photos of other people’s wives or husbands.” I ignored the stupid remark and started to pick up my stuff and cram it back into my pack. Stella walked past me and caught me with her leg and knocked me off balance, I fell on top of my books. �śHey, you’ve been drinking,” she sneered. �śLook, she can’t even keep her balance.” I had made up my mind a long time ago never to give in to them, they were never going to see me cry. But it was hard holding it in. I got to my knees and started picking up my things, finally I got my bag back together and stood up. �śCan’t you just leave me alone, I just want to go home?” They laughed. �śNo, I don’t think so,” Stella said. �śWhere’s your dad taken Mrs. Waterhouse? Has he kidnapped her, has he murdered her?” I said nothing. They were starting to really heat up, I needed a quick way to get out of this. �śI don’t see my father very often and as for Megan Waterhouse, I have no idea. Why don’t you ask them?” �śCos I’m asking you, Claire. What’s happened to her?” �śNothing, you know nothing has happened to her.” �śI don’t believe you,” she snarled. Then she went to punch me, not an especially powerful punch but all of her nasty, vicious spite was starting to pour out of her. I twisted away and she lost her balance and fell over. �śHey, James, she pushed me, the bloody cow hit me, go get her.” Her eyes flared again with that harsh, crazy light. No matter what I said or did they’d really got it in for me today, worse than usual, I’d no idea why. The school had its fair share of bullies and Stella and James were by no means the worst, but for some reason they’d decided to get their kicks by having a go at me. Maybe it was because my route home was so remote, that almost as soon as I passed the row of old storefronts on the way back I was on my own. It was just opportunity I guessed, that and a blazing hatred because my dad had gone off with a woman from their side of town. It was crazy, like they were some kind of different tribe. But then again, bullies never needed a reason, they just liked to cause pain. I ran for it, straight for the trees. Maybe I was following the route of Nathan, the cavalryman who had given the wood its name a hundred and fifty years ago. Clutching my pack I sprinted across the road and into the trees. They were behind me, I could hear them shouting and cursing, so I pressed on fast, thorns pricked at my clothes, tearing, ripping into my school uniform. Mom would go crazy, when she saw the damage but it didn’t matter, she wasn’t here and I was. She’d blame me of course, blame me for running away, not the kids who were chasing me to give me a hiding. No, that’s the way life was for Claire Winter, it was always my fault. The wood was dark and getting darker as I ran deeper into it, I could still hear them so I kept going, further, deeper, darker. I must have run for an hour, eventually I stopped. I couldn’t hear them anymore and I was tired so I sat down on a fallen tree to take a rest. I was exhausted, really beat, I slid off the tree trunk and sat on the ground and put my pack behind me so that I could rest my head against it. I was safe here, I would just wait for an hour or so and then go back the way I’d come. Oh God, I was tired. What was wrong with Stella, she was a bully, yeah, but she seemed to be hitting on me lately, as if there was something really personal there? I couldn’t work it out, it didn’t make much sense. I awoke to find it was dark. I was cold and stiff, very cold, and I got up and picked up my pack, it was time to head back. I tried to retrace my steps for what must have been another hour, but somehow I never seemed to get back to the road. It was like the wood was an endless world of creaking trees, sighing leaves in the gentle breeze, the hoot of an owl and screech of a small animal. I should have been frightened but I wasn’t. I felt at peace, cocooned in the gentle darkness, as if I had awoken into a magical world that was all mine, a world where I could do what I wanted, go where I wanted. A world where nobody kept bullying me, misunderstanding every single thing I said. � I mean, were they all stupid? I’d ask someone a simple, innocent question and they’d say �Śwhy, what do you want to know for?’ No easy answers, not ever, it was if they wanted to dissect my life, to deliberately send me in directions I didn’t want to go in. It was strange. I felt, like, �Śare you all crazy? Why can’t you just chill out, understand that I’m not a complicated person at all?’ But they never did. I guess that’s why the bullying carried on endlessly, I mean, what was the point, you complain you’re in the wrong. You don’t complain, you’re in the wrong. Tell me what you want and I’ll just roll with it. But they never did tell me what they wanted. I guess they all had an agenda, they did their own thing and didn’t understand that I might to want to do my own thing. I was a rope in a tug of war competition, people trying to pull me hard in opposite directions. Jeez, it hurt, guys.� I sat down again, I was so tired. Ok, maybe I was a little frightened too, I mean, I was hungry. Somewhere during the dash through the trees I’d lost my watch. I’d forgotten to recharge my cell last night, when I looked at it the battery was dead, so I couldn’t call anyone. So what do I do? I’m on my own in the middle of a dark, cold wood, totally lost. Do I go around and around in circles until I drop dead from exhaustion? I shivered, was my young life going to end here, in this dark place? But I had to try, I got up and started walking again. Hours later I gave up, it was hopeless. I guessed it must be near midnight, I was even colder, starving hungry and utterly exhausted. It was only stubborn pride that stopped me from crying, Claire Winter didn’t cry, if a horde of bullies couldn’t make me cry a damned bunch of trees wasn’t going to either. But I was still wracked with dry sobs, misery and tiredness and eventually I just slumped down and allowed myself to drop off to sleep again. If I was going to die, I may as well get some sleep first. As I was dozing I thought again about Stella. What was her problem? I’d noticed she had that strange look in her eyes more often lately, whenever she came across me, she’d sure singled me out for her nastiest treatment. I awoke suddenly, what was that, a sound? A rescuer? No, they would be calling out my name. Someone was moving through the trees, or something, it had to be a dog. Or something else, a wolf, a bear. Did we have wolves and bears in this area? There was a low howl followed by a gentle bark, almost a yip, as if the dog didn’t want to make too much noise. Then I heard a person, a human, sniffing, as if they were, what? I couldn’t work it out, it was like a dog sniffing a scent, but this was no dog. I felt something brush against my leg and I screamed. I looked down and there were two eyes looking at me, intense, luminous, then there were another two eyes and another creature touched me. Two dogs. They were friendly, licking my hand, panting in that odd, reassuring way that dogs do when they’ve been for a long walk and they’re happy. Their eyes looked around as a twig cracked underfoot, someone was there. Oh, my God, was this where the bear jumped out and attacked me? Would the dogs defend me? �śScylla, Charybdis? What have you found over there? Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?” I looked at the source of the voice but I couldn’t see anything. Wait a moment, yes, it was the eyes, like the dogs’ eyes, bright, luminous like glistening jewels. Did my eyes shine like that in the blackness of the night? I wondered. �śI could ask you the same thing,” I said as firmly as I could. �śWhat exactly are you doing in the woods at this hour of the night, harassing a young girl who’s just out for an innocent walk?” �śDo you know what time it is?” �śOf course I do, do you think I’m stupid?” �śNo, I don’t,” he replied in a friendly sort of way, not put off by my scathing tones. �śWhat time is it then?” �śEr, well, it’s just after midnight.” �śIt’s three in the morning, Claire.” Oh, my God, he knew my name. What was he, a mad axe murderer, trailing me into the woods, waiting to molest me and then hack off my head? I said nothing, just waited. Then a thought came to me. How did he know my name, did I know him? �śWho are you?” �śI’m Ethan, Ethan Andros. And you’re Claire Winter.” �śHow did you know my name?” �śWe go to the same school, I often see you around, haven’t you noticed me?” �śI don’t think so, but as I can’t see you I wouldn’t know, would I? But how do you know it’s me, I mean, how can you see me?” There was a silence for a few moments. Then he said, �śI could smell you, besides, I’ve got good night vision.” �śAnd your dogs as well, they seem to be able to see me.” �śI guess they can smell you as well.” I began to feel angry, he was implying that I stank, that I needed a bath. Had the run through the woods caused me to sweat that much? �śWell, next time I go for a walk in the woods, I’ll have a shower first and put on some fragrance, ok?” I said angrily. I could hear the smile in his voice. �śI didn’t mean an unpleasant smell, everyone like you has an odor, it’s just natural.” Like me, what the hell did that mean? I didn’t want to ask, I guess I didn’t want an unpleasant answer. We waited in silence. Then, �śWould you like to come to my folks’ place? It’s only a few hundred yards through the trees and we can see about getting you a lift home. I only waited for a few heartbeats. Not that it was his business where I was going, but I was tired and hungry. �śOk, we’ll do that. But how will I see where we’re going?” I heard him moving nearer to me, then I realized that I could actually smell him too. It was a rich, spicy scent, like nothing I’d smelt before. It was kind of like an exotic animal. Strange. I jumped as he touched my hand, but it was only to guide me. He put it on my shoulder and started walking through the woods. How he could really see his way I had no idea, it was totally pitch black, but he strode along as if it was broad daylight. The dogs romped around us, they didn’t have any problems either. Did these people eat lots of carrots, I’d always heard that carrots were good for night vision? Then we came through a final clump of trees and pushed our way into a clearing, a house stood there, a porch light was on that illuminated the whole place with a ghostly glow.� �śWill your folks be up at this time of night?” I asked him. I heard it again, a kind of smile in his voice. �śYeah, they’ll be up.” The dogs ran ahead and whined at the door. It opened and a woman stood there, dimly illuminated by the lamp. �śEthan, you’ve brought a visitor,” she called out. �śIt’s Claire Winter, from my school, I found her in the woods.” We reached the house and she looked at me. �śClaire, of course, I wondered when you’d come to visit us. Do you usually walk through the woods in the middle of the night?” �śWell, not really, I was lost, well, I mean, I was running away.” She looked worried. �śFrom home?” �śNo, nothing like that. From a couple of bullies is all.” Her face creased in concern. �śEthan, bring the young lady in and I’ll fix up some drinks, would you like a hot drink?” I nodded. �śGood, then we can telephone your folks.” �śIt’s my mom, I haven’t got a dad,” I lied. Well, not any more I hadn’t. I wasn’t sure, but I could swear that her eyes twinkled with amusement, as if she knew exactly where my parents were and a whole lot more about me as well. How the hell could that be? We walked into the house and I now saw it was dimly lit with candles. Very atmospheric, I thought, or maybe they hadn’t paid the electric company. Then I remembered the porch light, no, they obviously chose to have the candles. Ethan came in behind me and I turned to thank him, and I nearly fell over. He was truly beautiful, almost otherworldly. I realized that I’d noticed him in school on several occasions, but he always wore very thick plastic rimmed glasses that made him look geeky and hid most of his face. He wasn’t a geek. His skin was pale, flawless, his eyes huge and strangely liquid, otherwise he looked Mediterranean with his long, dark almost jet black hair. But they were always darker skinned, weren’t they, people from that area, not light skinned like him? And there was something else indefinable about him, a kind of fragility. He didn’t look � that strong, not at all, if anything he was skinny looking, tall as well. I suddenly realized I was still looking and I turned away in embarrassment. But at least I didn’t feel cold anymore, my temperature had gone up about twenty degrees when I first saw my rescuer. His mother came back into the room with a cup of some strange steaming hot drink and I thanked her and gratefully drank it down.� �śNow, let’s call your mother, dear. She’ll be worried.” She asked me for the number and dialed it on the cordless handset. Mom answered. �śMy God, Claire, I was worried sick, where are you?” I told her I was in the Andros house, that Ethan had found me in the woods. She was silent for almost a minute. Then she said, �śThe Andros house, I see. What were you doing there at this hour, Claire, we’ve had everybody out looking for you?” I hesitated, but no way was I going to whine about the bullying. �śI got lost,” was all I said. Well, it was true. �śI’ll come and get you, stay where you are, I’ll be there in twenty minutes or so.” �śOk, Mom.” I hung up the phone and gave it back to Mrs. Andros, who gave me another gentle, twinkling smile, her eyes crinkling a tiny bit as if she found pleasant humor in everything I said. The similarity between her and Ethan was amazing, same pale, flawless skin, luminous eyes and rich, dark hair. She was also very tall, very willowy, elegant, I guess most people would call it. My mom was all so contrived, this woman had a kind of inbuilt classiness, not something that she’d worked on everyday in the gym and beauty salon to achieve. She invited me to sit down in their living room. It was all dark, rich, with odors unlike anything I’d known before, the candles I guessed. Ethan sat down opposite me and for a minute we said nothing, but I enjoyed the silence. I was waiting for the questions to start, like they had all my life. �ŚWhere were you, what were you doing, what were you thinking of?’ stuff like that. But I wasn’t ready to answer any of them and they seemed to understand that. �śExcuse me, I have things to do,” Mrs. Andros said. She left us. I was struck by a sudden thought. �śWhy do you wear those thick glasses at school?” He seemed to think for a few moments. �śIt’s a condition, Claire. My eyes are kind of sensitive to daylight.” �śYou don’t have any problems with the darkness though, that was incredible the way you could see out there.” He nodded, didn’t look like he wanted to talk about his vision. But I wanted to talk, wanted him to talk, when he spoke to me I felt something really good deep inside me, a feeling of relief from the usual crap that people tell each other. His voice was like a cool shower on a hot day, it sort of built you back up when you felt like a mess. I heard a soft �Śyip’ from outside, the dogs, Mrs. Andros must have opened the door and let them in. They came into the living room, two beautiful, large dogs, some breed I’d not seen before. They were pretty big, with squashed faces that made them look funny. I remembered they seemed to have the same kind of night vision as Ethan. �śTell me about the dogs, how come they can see as well as you at night?” He shrugged. �śI’ve never thought about it, I suppose it’s in their genes.” I wanted him to keep talking, to submerge me in a torrent of poetic words from that beautiful face. �śThose names you called them were weird, what were they?” �śScylla and Charybdis, they’re from the old Greek myths.” I vaguely remembered now, something from a school history class, or was it English? �śDo you like living out here in the woods?” He smiled softly, as if he understood my need for him to keep talking. �śYes, I’ve lived here all my life, it’s quiet here, nobody bothers us.” �śExcept me,” I grinned. �śIt’s no bother, Claire, I’m quite pleased I found you out there, it was a pleasant surprise.” I shivered as he said that. So I was a pleasant surprise, was I, that was good to know. At least someone could be nice to me. And if someone was going to be nice to me, I was more than happy that that person would be Ethan Andros. I heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. �śThat’ll be my mom.” �śYes, I’ll show you out.” He got up and came over to me, put his hand on my wrist and helped me up. His touch was cool, strong, positive. There was no fifteen-year old boy gaucheness there, I guessed he was a teenager who knew what he wanted and how to get it. As we walked through the door into the hallway one of the dogs brushed past me and I stumbled. It was uncanny, he’d held me even before I tripped, as if he knew what was about to happen. I guess he was used to it with those large dogs dashing around the house, but his cool strength was a buzz. Mrs. Andros had opened the front door and Mom appeared there. �śHoney, I was so worried about you, how did you get lost in the woods? I thought you’d been kidnapped.” The difference between Mom and Mrs. Andros was even more marked now. Mom was all stringy, edgy, almost neurotic. Her eyes were angry, her face all pinched and peevish. Mrs. Andros was so calm and confident, like some kind of a regal princess from an old black and white movie. �śIt just happened, Mom,” I mumbled. �śWell let’s get you home and to bed, we’ll talk about it later,” she snapped. I turned to Ethan. �śThanks again for helping me out. I guess I may see you in school tomorrow.” �śThat would be nice, Claire. I’ll look forward to it. Take care now, Stella and her people could do you a lot of harm.” The way he said my name was awesome, it had a kind of musical ring when he said it. It was weird, I mean, a simple name, one syllable, �ŚClaire’, but he made it into almost a tune. As he spoke, he looked at me directly with those beautiful, sincere eyes. I wanted him to tell me when to meet him, maybe for us to sit together at lunchtime and talk things over, I waited but nothing happened, he was silent. Then I suddenly thought, how the hell did he know it was Stella and her friends that had bullied me? Had I told him? I must have, I guessed, but I didn’t remember saying anything about Stella. �śCome on, darling, let’s get you home,” I heard my mom say. I said goodnight to the Andros’s, mother and son, and got into Mom’s car. She started up and drove away. �śWhat the hell happened?” she snapped almost before the wheels had started to roll. �śWas it some boy, was it that Andros boy? Did you go to meet him?” �śNo, it wasn’t him, he helped me out. I got lost that’s all.” �śI don’t know whether I can trust you next Monday, I might have to cancel my class.” I sighed loudly, it was always her, her, her. �śI’ll be ok, Mom. Say, do you know the Andros family, Mrs. Andros seemed to know me?” �śNo, I don’t know that family!” � We drove the rest of the way in silence, when we got home she sent me straight off to bed. I didn’t need to be told, I was exhausted, almost before my head hit the pillow I was awake again and getting ready for school. As usual, Mom had put out my clean uniform. I looked at the skirt. �śMom,” I shouted down the stairs. �śWhat the hell is this you expect me to wear?” �śThose short skirts don’t keep you warm enough, especially if you’re out late,” she said. So what, I was going to make a habit out of getting lost in the woods? The skirt was my older tartan school skirt, longer and thicker wool. She wanted me to look like a total nerd, it was crazy. I stormed down the stairs in my bra and panties. �śWhat the hell are you doing making me wear that long skirt, they’ll laugh at me if I turn up wearing something stupid like that?” �śWell I don’t care,” she hit back.� �śIf you’re going to walk around in the dark and cold weather, getting lost in the forest, you need to wear something warmer.” Of course, this was the punishment for last night, thinly disguised as �Ścaring’ for me I was about to really argue when I let loose with a huge sneeze, I mean, really huge. Within minutes I’d gone from healthy kid to sick kid. �śClaire, you’re not well, get back to bed, you’d better take the day off school and stay in bed. And get your long nightgown on, you need to stay warm. I’ll fetch you a hot honey and lemon drink.” Ok, so maybe it wasn’t all bad. A day off school, a day away from the misery, the bullying, the boredom. �śRight, Mom, if I have to.” �śYou do, darling, go on, I’ll be up to see you before I go.” Suddenly she was all sweetness and caring, she could be like that, my mom. Weird. I went back upstairs and struggled to get into my long gown. It was thick, brushed cotton and came down to my ankles, then buttoned up to the frilly neck, which matched the frilly cuffs at the ends of the long sleeves. I hated it, Mom made we wear it to bed when I had a cold, to keep me warm. Which I guess it did, but I think she made me wear it because it was so vile, to make sure that I wouldn’t stay off school unnecessarily. I felt like an old grandmother when I was forced to wear it. If anyone saw me in it I would be forced to leave the country, or maybe join the marines. Did they take women, these days, I wondered. Whatever. The one thing I would miss today, though, was seeing Ethan at school. I just wished I’d been able to go to school today of all days, I knew that I desperately wanted to see him again, to feel his strong presence wash over me, it was such a safe feeling when he’d found me and took me home, hard to explain. I was certain he wanted to see me again too, it was like we were mutually attracted to each other. Was this love at first sight? I could live with that. Oh Ethan, I wish you were here now. He seemed to know me, saw through the armor that I wore on the inside to protect me from the world outside. She brought me a tray with some breakfast and a hot drink, her patent cold remedy, hot honey and lemon. Then she kissed me and said goodbye. Mom was some sort of a salesperson, she sold real estate or insurance, I wasn’t sure which, maybe both. I knew she was big on power dressing and went to people’s homes with a leather briefcase, but the rest of it was a bit of a mystery. After work, she picked me up from school and often then went out to hang around with her friends, other salespersons maybe. They went to each other’s houses when they weren’t out at restaurants or meetings, the gymnasium or the country club. I’d met the kids of some of her friends on occasion, they looked the way I felt. Crap. I thought about it briefly, how did I really feel? Lost, yes, I guess that was it, I was totally lost, didn’t know where I was going. Crap as well. Yep, that’s the way they looked too. Is that the way the kids of salespeople all over the world looked I wondered? What if my mom was a teacher, how would I look then? There was Amy Weinstock at school, her mom was a teacher. Amy was a bit overweight, spotty, lank hair. Christ, no, I didn’t want to look like that. I was still trying to work out who I wanted to be like when Ethan poked his head around my bedroom door. I nearly had a heart attack. �śChrist, Ethan, what are you doing here?” A terrible thought struck me then. �śAre you some kind of a weirdo, are you here to molest me or something?” He looked anxious. �śNo, no, Claire, not at all. I was just worried about you, after last night when you weren’t in school, I didn’t know what to think. I thought they might have�Ś” he trailed off. � I was reeling, like, my brain had gone fuzzy around the edges. He was a boy, here, in my house, in my bedroom even, well, standing at the door, it was as good as actually being in the bedroom. I should have dialed 911 and called the cops. But I didn’t. I really did feel like crap, what with the cold and everything, if there was one person who could have cheered me up, he was standing right there, his dark, liquid eyes shining with warmth and concern. �śHow did you get in the house, Mom always locks the door?” �śShe must have forgotten to do it this morning, it wasn’t locked.” I looked at him hard, I knew she never, ever forgot to lock the door. It was like her life depended on it. �śYou broke in didn’t you? Did you pick the lock or something?” �śSomething like that, yes,” he said. � I was glad he was now being honest, at least there was that. Well, no, there was more than that. He was totally gorgeous. And he liked me. �śWell, I’ve just got a cold if you must know, I expect I’ll survive.” �śDo you want me to do anything for you?” he asked. I wasn’t sure how to answer. I’d got over the shock of him being here, almost in my bedroom. Then I decided I had to spend some time with him, I’d be stupid to miss this opportunity. �śLook, I’ll come downstairs, we can have a chat, it doesn’t seem right you being outside my bedroom door.” �śOk,” he said. I got out of bed and oh, shit, I’d forgotten that I was still wearing my awful pink nightgown. But he didn’t even stare. I pulled my robe on over it, then he went ahead down the stairs. We sat down in the living room in opposite each other. He’d sat down first, what if he’d sat down on the couch? �śWell,” he said. �śWell,” I said. We just sat there saying nothing. I didn’t mind, I liked looking at him. He had the thick, plastic glasses on today, like I remembered he always wore at school, he’d said his eyes were sensitive to light. They had a slight tint to them and looked a bit dated, but now I knew what his eyes were like without them, I could make out the beauty and richness of them behind the ugly plastic frames. He was wearing jeans, tapered, narrow jeans. Sneakers on his feet and a floppy black t-shirt underneath a beautifully cut jeans jacket. Very cool, very casual. Not school uniform, though. In fact, it was the way I liked to dress when I wasn’t in uniform and wanted to wear something nice. We obviously thought along the same lines, in terms of clothes. That was promising. �śYou weren’t going to school today anyway, were you?” �śHow did you know?” he asked, surprised. � I laughed inside, boys, what did they know? It was cool being one up on him. But what was really cool was that he was here, the boy I wanted to visit and cheer me up had miraculously appeared. But of course I knew, whatever he was doing roaming the woods in the middle of the night when he found me, it wasn’t likely he’d be up in time for school. So how did he know I wasn’t in school, maybe he’d reasoned it out the same way? Or maybe someone told him. I went to the icebox and poured us some juice, gave him a glass. He smiled his thanks, his teeth, like the rest of him were oh so perfect. He looked like he had just walked off a film set, and yet he was here, to see me of all people. Claire Winter, small town punch bag, the girl they loved to be hateful to. �śYou’re sure you don’t mind me being here?” he asked. �śI would have wanted you to come, Ethan. I was so grateful for last night.” �śYeah, no sweat. Any problems, Claire, just call me again, I’ll be there for you.” �śExcuse me? What do you mean, call you again? Did I call you, I don’t remember that?” �śNo, right, of course not.” I’d sometimes heard about people that were so close to each other, lovers, usually, that they seemed to enjoy some kind of telepathy between them. Could it be that? No, not likely. We were quiet again and I let myself relax in the calm strength of his presence. I thought about what he’d said, was it a slip or what? �śDo you believe in telepathy?” I asked him. He looked a bit guilty then and I began to suspect. �śWhat do you mean, telepathy?” �śYou knew I wanted you to be here, didn’t you?” I was waiting for him to say yes he did, that some thought wave connected us. He didn’t answer me, though. I was embarrassing him. �śI’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” �śNo, it’s ok,” he said. Then he touched my hand, just the tips of the fingers, but it was like a charge of electricity running from him across to me. I heard him say, �śBut I’ve got to go now, I’ve got things to do,” and it was like a cold wind blowing towards me. I didn’t want to lose the touch, but I let him withdraw his hand. �śRight, thanks for coming.” He looked at me, was that warmth or sympathy I could see? Well don’t be sorry for me, buster, no matter how good looking you are. But I looked into his eyes, deep into his eyes, and what I saw there wasn’t sympathy. It was sorrow. Sorrow for what? Just as he was going through the door, he turned back to look at me. �śClaire, those people, they’re dangerous, I mean it, you be careful.” �śThose people? You mean the bullies,” I laughed, �śthey’re just idiots, I can deal with them.” �śNo, it’s more than that. They’re dangerous. Very dangerous.” I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he meant, but he had gone. Chapter 2 �śYou sure you’re ok to go to school this morning?” �śYes, Mom.” I was eating the stuff that tastes like shredded cartons soaked in milk that she gave me every morning. Packed with every vitamin your kid needs, they said on the package. Yeah, right. Packed with garbage. I was wearing the long skirt, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I knew the kids would have a good laugh at my expense, but what was new? I swigged down my juice and picked up my backpack. �śYou need to wear a coat today, you haven’t been well.” She’s holding my long, thick, warm lined raincoat. Oh, my God. �śMom, no, I can’t wear that, I’m ok, really.” �śClaire, you’re not ok, you’ve got a cold and I want to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.” �śMom, I don’t want to go to school looking like Orphan Annie.” �śDon’t be ridiculous, it’s a perfectly good coat.”� She wouldn’t take no for an answer, of course not. Mom’s mission in life seemed to be to make my life even more difficult than it already was. I got out of the car outside school and went in. Of course, I walked straight into Fiona Merriweather. Fiona was part of the tennis club set from the other side of town, Stella’s crowd. She was one of those girls you would hate on sight, long, straight blonde hair, healthy and shining. She was tall and slim and where I was a bit pale and pasty, her skin glowed with tanned health. Her school clothes were cut to perfection, I guessed that if a single thread pulled on her blouse she’d throw it out and buy a new one. She’d come to school once wearing a pair of Jimmy Choos, a typical show off. She was the kind of girl for whom the word �Śbitch’ was invented. �śNice coat, Claire,” she said with a grin. Of course, these kids always delivered the killer blow with a pearly white five hundred dollar smile.� �śRight, thanks,” I said as I hurried past her. �śYou can do so well at the thrift shop these days,” I heard her add. Thanks. It was pointless to argue, more than once I’d felt like giving her a good slap, but a stand-up fight in the school wasn’t a good idea. I walked through the main door and was heading for my locker when Mrs. Granger the Principal, stopped me. �śWhere were you yesterday, Claire?” �śEr, I was ill, Ma’am.” �śSo why wasn’t the school informed?” �śI don’t know.” �śIt won’t do, Claire, it’s not good enough.” I said nothing. She knew perfectly well that if I was laying ill in bed my mom should have called the school, not me. So why was she hassling me? Why not speak to Mom? But what was the point, I said nothing. I guess if I died, she’d expect me to resurrect myself from the grave to report it. �śYou’d better go, don’t let it happen again.” I walked off to my locker and got rid of my hideous coat. I still had the too-long thick, woolen skirt, but I couldn’t take that off too. I found my way to class and sat down. As usual, nobody came to sit next to me. Mr. Wilkinson came into the room and stood in front of us. � � �śGood morning, we’re looking at the Civil War this morning. 1861, causes of the conflict.” I got out my book and half listened as he droned on about Lincoln, Grant and Lee. I started to daydream, an image of Ethan Andros formed in my mind. I guess it was the connection between the Civil War, Nathan’s Wood and Ethan coming across me in the middle of the dark forest. I wondered why he wasn’t in school today, I hoped he hadn’t caught my cold when he came to see me. I remembered he’d touched me, had I transferred my germs to him? Hopefully not. There and then, I decided I’d go see him after school, if I could persuade Mom to let me. Someone was talking to me, I looked up. �śAh, Claire, so you are still awake,” Mr. Wilkinson said sarcastically. �śYes, sorry.” �śI was asking you to tell us what you know about Gettysburg.” I thought about it, but honestly I couldn’t really care less about Gettysburg, but I stuttered out some crap about Pickett’s charge and scraped through. �śThank you for honoring us with your words of wisdom,” he said with a smarmy voice. �śIf you could stay awake for the rest of my class we would all be grateful.” I wasn’t really listening, a couple of the kids sniggered, but who cared? I thought of Ethan again, I wished I’d got his cell number. If he had a cell, although I didn’t know any kids who didn’t have one. Finally, the class ended and we moved on to math, more boredom. I was pretty good at math, the numbers always seemed to click into place for me where other kids had problems. Not that I ever admitted it of course, they’d give me hell, so I often pretended not to know things when they were as plain as cucumbers. But it was pretty mind-numbing too, there was little to be learned from the pathetic little class and I had to sit there pretending while the other kids stumbled along trying to understand the mass of numbers on the blackboard. �ŚThey’ had decided that lunchtime was to be a special torment for me. I went out into the yard and was trying to read a book, a supernatural story that was real interesting. Then they arrived, Stella and Fiona. Two other girls were with them today, Britney Rogers and Mae Jameson. Great, it was like the Spanish Inquisition, maybe they planned to burn me at the stake. �śHi, Claire,” Stella said, all sweetness. I nodded at her as I tried to move away to somewhere more quiet. �śHi, Stella.” �śYour skirt’s hanging down,” she said, �śwould you like us to fix it for you?” �śNo, I can’t stop now, I’m in a hurry.” Britney and Mae barred the way. They had that look in their eyes, like half bored, half-feral, big cats waiting to strike. I almost expected them to start snarling. �śI’ve gotta go, let me through.” �śSorry, Claire, but Stella wanted a word with you,” Britney said. I went to push past and she held up a hand, as I tried to go to the side of her a false nail caught in my school blazer and ripped clean off. It fell to the ground and lay there, like a bright, pink insect. �śYou cow, look what you made me do,” she said, her anger starting to blaze. �śBritney, if you’d let me alone you know it wouldn’t have happened.” �śThe fuck it wouldn’t.” Her swearing seemed to unlock the floodgates, I heard Stella say, �śShe needs her skirt to be adjusted, whores always wear them short, her family would know that.”� When I looked at her I could see a strange look in her eyes, like a bright light, it was wild, her eyes seemed glow with some kind of weird bright stare. They held me tightly and I struggled but Stella took out a pair of scissors. She cut into the hem of my skirt, ripped up the seam and then tore it all around so that the bottom ten inches fell down to my ankles. I looked down, working hard not to let them see me even think about crying, my panties were now visible under the ragged hemline of what was left of my skirt. I did my best to swallow my anger, it wouldn’t help me with four of them. �śWhat’s going on here?” a voice shouted. Margaret Granger loomed up from behind the girls. They looked worried and guilty. �śI said, what’s going on?” she repeated. Stella was the first to get her act together. �śClaire wanted us to shorten her skirt, Mrs. Granger, we were trying to help her.” She looked at my skirt, my underwear showing below the hem. �śIs that true, Claire?” I shook my head, but I didn’t say anything. Whatever I said was always going to be wrong, they could sort it out for themselves. Unless she was totally deaf, dumb and blind she could see exactly what had happened, it was as plain as day. �śI thought not. Look, you have a coat, I saw you wearing it this morning. You’ll have to put it on for the rest of the day, you can’t go around like that.” Great, just when my life couldn’t get any worse, it got worse. She looked at the four girls. �śWe do not tolerate bullying in this school, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You are all in detention for the next five schooldays, don’t let this happen again. And you can let me have a proposal to compensate Claire for her skirt, I want it on my desk by the end of the day. Now go away and behave yourselves. Dismissed.” We walked off, I went to my locker and got out �Śthat’ coat. I put it on, and feeling like a total clown, went to find a corner to hide in. I still had my book and I sat on a step and carried on reading it, ignoring the sniggers as other kids went past me. The word of the skirt-cutting incident had traveled, they all knew why I was wearing my coat. I wanted to hide in some deep, dark corner but in the meantime, I made that corner in my own mind. At least they couldn’t get at me there, unless I let them, and that just wasn’t going to happen. I kept out of everyone’s way for the rest of the day. Mom picked me up from school and I dived straight into the tricky question. �śMom, I wanted to go and look up Ethan after tea, I think he may be ill, would you drop me over there?” The car swerved a bit as she recovered from the surprise. �śEthan, you mean Ethan Andros, that boy who lives the other side of Nathan’s Wood?” �śHim, yeah. The boy who helped me out when I was lost in the middle of the night. He wasn’t in school today and I just wanted to check that he’s ok.” �śI don’t think so, honey. Stay home tonight.” �śMom, I want to go and visit Ethan. He’s a nice guy, I won’t stay long.” She was quiet for a few moments. �śLook, I’m not too keen on you going over there, there’s something strange about that family. I don’t want you getting involved with them.” You mean like they come out to help your daughter when she’s lost and frightened in the dark wood, I wanted to say. But I needed her to cooperate. �śJust a quick visit, Mom, how could that hurt? And what do you mean by strange?” She shrugged. �śI don’t know really, there’ve been rumors, witchcraft, black magic or some such thing. Someone said there are vampires in Nathan’s Wood, it could the Andros family, you know.” I laughed, I couldn’t help it. �śYou cannot be serious?” She shrugged again and changed the subject. �śHow was school today?” �śCrap.” �śWhat? Why do you say that?” �śBecause some girls set on me and cut my skirt, they said it was too long.” �śMy God, Claire, were you hurt, did the principal find out?” �śNo, I wasn’t hurt. Yes, she found out, they’re all in detention.” �śCan it be fixed?” Yeah, like don’t worry about your daughter, bullied and tormented every time she sets foot in the school, just ask about that stupid skirt. �śNo, it can’t be fixed and I wouldn’t wear it again if it could be.” �śWhy not?” �śMom, think about it, what happened today. I really don’t want it to happen again.” She was quiet. Was she thinking about it, realizing how stupid she’d been? Probably not. �śI’ll get you another one.” Ok, definitely not. �śLook, Mom, all I want is a quick visit to check on Ethan, ok?” �śMy sister Rita is coming on the weekend, she’ll be bringing Katie and John. You can spend some time with them.” So it was the old change of subject routine. Rita was Mom’s snooty sister, Katie and John were her step kids by her third marriage. As far as I knew she couldn’t have kids herself, which I guess saved some potential misery to the kids she might have had. Katie and John were abominable. I mean, not just unlikable, they were pretty mean with it. They didn’t like me, which was cool, because I couldn’t care less about them one way or the other. �śSo what about going to see Ethan?” �śClaire, I’ve said no, that’s the end of it.” When I got home, I changed my skirt and put the torn one outside in the dumpster. I booted up my computer, but there was nobody I really wanted to talk to online. I only wanted to talk to one person, and he wasn’t around and I wasn’t allowed to go and visit him. Story of my life. After that day, I had a few days’ peace, nothing more was said about the skirt. I was called to the Principal’s Office, where Stella, Fiona, Britney and Mae were stood waiting to apologize to me. They’d obviously been rehearsing, they said in chorus, �śWe’re sorry for cutting your skirt, Claire.” I shrugged. �śWhatever.” �śThey’ve got the money to buy you a new one, Claire.” �śRight. Would you put it in the charity box, please?” Mrs. Granger was open mouthed and a bit pissed off, I guess she’d pushed them hard to come up with the cash. Maybe she hadn’t been bullied herself and had her own skirt cut in half. �śIf that’s what you want.” �śIt is, was there anything else?” She shook her head and I left the office. What the hell else was there to say? It was all so false and they knew it. There was still no sign of Ethan in school. I was getting more worried. On the Saturday, my Aunt Rita turned up with her two kids, Katie and John. Katie was a year younger than me, an eager Girl Scout with a real attitude problem. She was destined to graduate, spend a year as an intern and then the rest of her days as a Stepford Wife, leaving a trail of misery in her wake. John was the zit king, repulsive, he had a face like a cold pizza. They arrived just before lunch, we sat eating, and it was all I could do not to be sick with John’s spotty face and Katie sat there picking her nose. Even worse, after lunch John kind of hung around, like a whipped dog. I excused myself and went up to my room to check my emails, not that I had any emails that were worth checking, I just needed some space, a respite from the� gruesome Adams family. Then Johnny Zit poked his head around my door. �śHey, Claire, how’s it going?” �śIt was going fine, John. What do you want?” �śYeah, right. Could I have a word with you?” I told him ok, after all, he was a guest and some obscure rule said that no matter how repulsive someone was, you couldn’t be nasty to them when they were a guest. Not that he was behaving badly, it was just the pizza face I found hard to take. �śI’ve got something I want to run past you, Claire, see what you think.” �śOk, what is it?” He hummed and hahed forever, I thought he’d never spit it out. Then a terrible thought struck me, was he going to want to try and make out with me? I gave him my cool, uninterested look. �śJohn, I don’t know where this is going but I’m really not terribly interested.” He looked hurt. �śLook, Claire, I’m only after a bit of advice, that’s all.” �śWell, ok then. But why don’t you say what you mean?” �śEr, right, yes. Claire, I’m in love and I want to get it out in the open.” There was something going on here, something in the wind that I’d totally missed, some kind of signal that had flown right past me. �śAnd?” �śWell, if Mom finds out she’ll go crazy, I don’t know what to do.” I was still not adding two and two together. �śJohn, the first thing is to let the girl know how you feel, after that you can tell your mom. Have you told this girl?” There was a silence then, I thought he’d totally lost it. Then he said, �śNo.” �śFor God’s sake, you’re sixteen, just tell her and take it from there. She might not even want to have a relationship with you, problem solved.” �śIt’s not a girl,” he said quietly. Oh, shit. He’s right, Aunt Rita will go crazy, but I couldn’t say that. I was quiet, we both sat there saying nothing. Our eyes met.� �śHaven’t you ever felt really good about someone?” he asked. Ethan. My thoughts turned to my knight in shining armor. I relived that night in the wood several times every day. I’d made a plan to get out on Sunday and go and look him up while Mom was busy with her country club friends. I said, �śMaybe.” �śChrist, you’re a cold one, Claire,” he said. � Typical, of course. When you didn’t say exactly what they wanted you were cold. If you didn’t act like they wanted, you were strange. If you didn’t wear the right clothes, you were a weirdo. But I didn’t argue, I’d learned long ago that it was pointless. Let them get on with their pitiful lives. �śWhat am I going to do?” he asked. �śYou’ll have to man up, John. Face up to it, if you are gay, tell the important people in your life. Especially this guy you say you like.” �śShe’ll kill me.”� He had a point of course. She would kill him. �śShe’ll find out eventually,” I said.� �śI can’t do it.” I shrugged. �śIt’s up to you.” We sat for a while longer and when he realized he wasn’t going to get anything else out of me he left my room. Just when I was starting to relax again, his sister came in. Dear Christ!� �śHi, Claire, I wondered if we could go out for a walk, I feel like some fresh air.” I raised my eyes to the heavens. What next? But then I thought about it again, this could be useful to me. They had a Latin motto for it. �ŚCarpe Diem’, seize the day. I’d used it in an essay once, the teacher made a point of saying how clever I was, the kids set the paper on fire afterwards in the yard. �śHow about a stroll to Nathan’s Wood?” �śIs that the forest just up the road?” �śYep, that’s it.” �śGreat, that’ll be nice, gee, thanks,” she gushed. I almost felt guilty, but if she got her walk and I could detour to look up Ethan, it would be a win-win. I told Mom we were going out for a stroll. She was deep in conversation with Aunt Rita, John was sitting in the corner looking miserable. We grabbed our jackets and went out.� Mine was a kind of short ski coat with a mysterious shaped design on it that someone said was by the Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Whoever he was, it sounded posh, so I felt cool wearing it. We reached the wood and I tried to orientate towards Ethan’s house. I estimated it was about two miles on the other side of the wood, it was a long walk and before we had got halfway, Katie was whining. �śIt’s too far, Claire, I don’t want to go any further.” �śI thought you were a Girl Scout.” �śI am, but we don’t do stuff like this, we make paper decorations and sing songs.” �śRight,” a real bunch of regular heroes, �śnot much further.” Another half mile. �śI’m frightened, it’s dark in here.” Well it would be, that’s why it’s called a wood, it’s because of all the trees, leaves and things, keeping out the sunlight. �śThere’s nothing to be frightened about.” We walked on, then she got out her cell, we were in a small clearing. �śI’m calling Mom, I don’t want to go any further.” She called, her mother answered straight away, I heard her high-pitched whining voice from three feet away. It was like an angry buzz saw.� �śWhere did you say you were, a wood? Wait a second.” A few seconds, then the abrasive voice cut through the peaceful glade again. �śPut Claire on the phone.” I took the handset. �śWhat are you doing taking my daughter into a dark wood, don’t you know it’s dangerous? Where exactly are you, we’re coming to find you? You stay where you are until we get there.” I told her we were not far from the Andros house. Mom overheard, she grabbed the phone. �śWhat are you doing there near the Andros place, I thought I told you not to go there?” She didn’t say that exactly, but so what, if that was what she thought, I couldn’t change it. I couldn’t change anything, now I came to think of it, including the whining kid I was stuck with. Another pause, then, �śYou’d better carry on to the Andros house so that we can find you. We’ll be there in fifteen or twenty minutes,” she hung up. �śI didn’t mean to get you into trouble,” Katie said. Yeah, right. �śWe’d better press on to the house, they’re expecting us to be there.”� Why did people say, �ŚI didn’t mean to get you into trouble’ when they deliberately got you into trouble? We walked on through the wood, I reckoned we were almost there when a guy stepped out in front of us. I wasn’t worried, he wore the Forest Ranger uniform. He seemed friendly enough, gave us a smile, but I was cautious, his ID badge said Ryan. Like Stella Ryan, they were the only Ryan family in town, as far as I knew. �śAre you girls ok, you’re not lost, are you?” I shook my head. �śWe’re going to the Andros place, it’s not far now, is it?” �śNo, about three hundred yards, you’re going in the right direction. Why are you going there?” �śTo visit.” �śWell you’re out of luck, they’re not there at the moment. They’re away for a week or two, asked me to keep an eye on the house.” I felt so alone. It had only been a brief meeting between myself and Ethan, but there was something there that was hard to define, something that joined us. �śDo you know where they went?” �śGreece, in Europe. Some island I think Mrs. Andros said.” The island of Andros, I had no doubt. But Ethan had said that he would see me in school. Why hadn’t he told me? It was so strange. We thanked the Ranger and he gave us a smile, his eyes seemed to flash like molten metal when his gaze fell on me, like you see in a movie when they open a furnace door and you see the coals burning red hot, sparks flying. Weird. We walked on, when we reached the house, all dark, gloomy and mysterious, there seemed to be no one there, as Ranger Ryan had said. We sat down on the wall at the side of the yard to wait. Despite the strange exterior of the house, there was something about the inside, that had imprinted itself on my mind, it was, what? I tried to think of the word. Warm, yes, womblike. When I had left it, I realized that I’d felt a sense of loss, like leaving a warm room to go out into the cold. Maybe it was just saying goodbye to Ethan, but no, it was more than that. There was something welcoming and safe about that house, despite all of its mystery. Except that now it was empty and locked. After a few minutes we heard a car approaching and Mom’s Chevy came into view with Aunt Rita in the passenger seat. They weren’t looking too happy. She stopped and we climbed in, the journey home was conducted in stony silence. When we got in the house John was still sat in a chair in the far corner of the room, but when he glanced up I knew he had told his mother. Oh, shit. Aunt Rita gave me a venomous glance. �śI think we’ll get going, Catherine,” she said to Mom. �śWe’ve got a long drive home.” �śSure, Sis, I’ll help you get ready.” Minutes later, they were driving away with false smiles on their faces and contrived thanks for the hospitality still ringing in our ears. �śWhy did you put John up to it?” Mom asked me as we went indoors. �śTo become a homosexual, do you mean?” Her expression darkened. �śYou know what I mean, to tell his mom just now.” �śIs that what he did?” I replied. Outright denial was pointless, of course. If an adult had decided you’re guilty, they’re judge, jury and executioner. It was always best to skirt around the issue. �śHe sure did, he upset his mother terribly. She shouted and raved at him, it was awful. She said she’s going to put him into a therapy program.” �śWhat for?” �śWell, to straighten him out, of course.” I tried not to smile. Did they never get it? �śOk, Mom.” �śI mean it’s awful, what will people say?” �śThey’ll say that he’s gay, Mom. It’s no big deal.” She bit her lip, thinking about what I had said. Then, �śYou’re not gay, are you Claire?” �śNo, Mom.” �śIf you were, would you tell me?” �śSure, why not?” She was quiet then, relieved probably that her daughter wasn’t �Śqueer’. What was it with people? This was the twenty first century. Apart from some of the Muslim countries, they didn’t stone gays to death these days, people didn’t see anything wrong in it. People were people, they were born, they lived their lives and they died. If they happened to be born gay, lesbian, heterosexual, whatever, that’s the cards that life dealt them. What was so hard about that to understand? I left her, and went up to my room and tried to pick up where I’d left off on my computer. I still had some homework to finish so I got on with it until Mom called me down for tea. I knew what was coming, it was just that the business with John being gay had put it out of her mind. I was cutting through a thin slice of beef when she started. �śWhy were you going to the Andros house? Was it to see Ethan?” �śWell, yes, it was.” �śI’m not happy about you going there, I told you that.” �śI know, Mom. He’s not been in school, I just wanted to make sure he’s ok.” �śAnd was he?” �śThey’re away.” She nodded and that was that. During the evening, I spent some time on my computer, Googling Andros Island. Some said that it was the lost island of Atlantis. There was also some kind of vampire legend. The undead were supposed to have inhabited the island, or at least they had, until an earthquake, hundreds of years ago had wiped everyone out, the entire population. Well that was ok then. At least Ethan’s family wouldn’t be bitten by some crazy creatures with long fangs. Of course, their name was Andros, so they’d named themselves after the island when they originally came to the States. Maybe it was like the Godfather story, Michael Corleone named after the town of Corleone on Sicily. But that was just a story, the Andros’s were real. I’d ask Ethan when he came back. � I spent Sunday messing around in the house, I had yet more homework to do for a school project so I worked on that, then I read a book lying on my bed, alternately reading and daydreaming. Tomorrow I’d be back in school and it would all start again, the crap, the bullying, the boredom. Was it like this for all kids, or was it just me?� � Thankfully, the next morning Mom was more or less back to normal. I guess she realized it wasn’t my fault that John was born with gay genes, or whatever it was that sent some guys in that direction. And she knew I wouldn’t be going to the Andros house as they were away, so she was a little happier. I pulled on my short tartan school skirt. At least that other hideous skirt was out of the reckoning, which was one upside of what those girls did to me. She tried me on the long coat again, but I was ready for her. �śNo, Mom, absolutely no way. Short of a snowstorm or a hurricane, I am not wearing it.” �śBut, honey, you’re still not over your cold.” �śDo you want me to be bullied for looking stupid?” �śClaire, your coat looks nice, it doesn’t look stupid.” But even as she said it, I knew I’d won. I guess it was her tone of voice that changed, whatever. I grabbed my backpack and jumped into the car, a sort of �Śget out while the going’s good’ attitude. I was in luck, Joanne Richardson was just getting out of her Mom’s car and we went in together, safety in numbers. Well, not quite. Stella and her three crone-like friends were waiting on the steps, even worse James McCreedy was with them, smirking when he saw me. His buddy, Roger Blake leaned against the wall, this was not good. Roger had been suspended from school until recently, he was known to be violent and nasty. The four girls said nothing, just looked at me with hard, sneering looks. Stella’s eyes blazed, what was it with her? It suddenly struck me that she had the same look in her eyes as that Ranger in Nathan’s Wood, Ranger Ryan. They must have been family, then. James fired the opening shot. �śYou bitch, you got my friends into trouble.” I gave him my sweetest smile. �śI’m real sorry for forcing them to rip my skirt, James. Please let us go through, we’ve got to get into school.” I think my apology had thrown him, he wasn’t expecting that and couldn’t work it out. I grabbed Joanne and we’d almost pushed past them when Roger Blake stepped in front of us. �śYou don’t get away with it so easily, bitch,” he snarled. �śOk,” I replied and waited. The trouble with these bullies, of course, was that they were essentially cowards. They got off on hurting people weaker than they were, and what really got their juices flowing was when their victims showed fear, they thrived on it. I’d heard that wild animals reacted to fear like that, it figured. But I wasn’t afraid, I really couldn’t care less. I’d taken so much of their crap that it usually went right past me. Besides, I’d got a lot of other things on my mind, so I just waited.� �śOk, what?” I shrugged and waited. But his witty repartee seemed to be exhausted that morning, he walked off, muttering curses under his breath. Joanna and I went into school.� The day went much as usual, boring routine, boring people. Nothing too serious upset the deadly dull flow of the morning. Afterwards I went into the cafeteria and sat down with Joanna to eat lunch, she seemed to be in a friendly mood today, which wasn’t always the case. One of the jocks was sitting at a nearby table with a portable radio, listening to some football scores. It was then that I heard something that chilled me to the very depths of my soul. �ŚWe interrupt this program to bring you a newsflash. There has been an earthquake in Greece with hundreds of people feared dead. Worst hit was the island of Andros.’ I couldn’t think straight, the news reader droned on but there was nothing else of any note. I left my half-eaten food and rushed to the school library, logged onto the internet and started looking around for any news about the Greek earthquake, the Island of Andros in particular, but there was nothing yet. I didn’t recall anything that was said during the rest of that afternoon, I left the building and got into Mom’s car still in a state of shock. She could see instantly that something was wrong. I told her about the news. �śI’m so sorry, darling,” she said to me. I don’t think she was being entirely honest. With Ethan out of the way, she had one problem less to deal with, or so she thought. Did it never occur to her that maybe he was an ok guy? I don’t think so. I told her I didn’t want tea, I just went into my bedroom, stripped off my school uniform and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. Then I lay on my bed and thought miserable thoughts. He had appeared in my life suddenly, through the cold dark forest, now he might be gone. I must have lain there for half an hour before a thought struck me, a ray of hope, something to cling to like a drowning person clutching at a log. He may not be dead, of course he could still be alive. He could have been in transit somewhere, visiting someone off the island. He could even have been on his way back, or not got there yet, perhaps his plane was delayed. I couldn’t go out to Andros to check, but I could do the next best thing. I used my cell so that Mom wouldn’t know and called the Greek Embassy in Washington. �śAndros you say?” �śYes, a Mr. Ethan Andros.” �śMr. Ethan is on Andros, yes, you say Andros already. What is his first name?” �śEthan.” �śAh, is first name. What is his second name?” �śAndros.” �śYes, you say is on Andros. What is name?” It took me twenty minutes to get through to him what I wanted, but finally he got it. He went away and checked some lists. �śIs no record of Ethan Andros amongst the dead and injured, Miss.” �śSo he could be ok?” I asked him. �śMaybe, maybe not. Wait a week, two is better. Then we know more.” I thanked him and hung up the call. There was one more place I could try, the Andros house. Chapter 3 I could ask Mom to take me over there, she might be sweet about it. Yeah, right, Osama Bin Laden might apply to join the Red Cross. I needed a better plan. I kept quiet, biding my time, waiting for bedtime. When she called up I undressed and put on my red baby dolls, just like I usually did. I buttoned my robe and went downstairs to get a glass of juice from the icebox, like I always did. My cell was upstairs, charging, I didn’t always do that. I had rooted around for a torch, I didn’t normally do that either just before bedtime. There were other differences, I’d stashed a warm woolly pullover ready. I’d got my walking boots out of my cupboard and put a few necessities in my backpack. While Mom was in the living room I stashed some supplies in my robe pockets, then I went upstairs, gave her a kiss on the way up, as usual. But tonight was different, lying in bed I had on my jeans, warm socks, boots and two pullovers, I felt like James Bond, or maybe his sister. Mom put her head around the door and we wished each other goodnight. I heard her going to bed, I knew she would be taking two sleeping pills, as usual. After around half an hour, I figured it was time to go. I crept downstairs, put on my crappy warm raincoat, a scarf and a woolly hat on my head, picked up my backpack and quietly went out through the front door, closing it with an almost-silent click. Then I set off for Nathan’s Wood.� It was creepy, but I expected that. The trees creaked, leaves rustled and sometimes I heard small animals moving around in the dark. As long as it wasn’t a bear I’d be ok. I got slightly lost, again, but I’d been this way in the daylight with my cousin Katie. Or was it my cousin-in-law Katie? I wasn’t sure, I’d have to ask Mom. Maybe not. In the end, it took me just over an hour before I saw the house loom up in front of me. My spirits went up, there was a lamp glowing in the window. Could they be back, had they survived? Oh, Ethan, I just have to knock the door and find out if you are ok, will I wake the household? Too bad, I had to know. There was no bell, just a heavy iron knocker. I banged it hard. Nothing. The house sounded hollow and empty. I banged again, harder. Still nothing. I stood waiting, feeling like a total fool, standing outside an empty house stuck on the edge of a thick wood, miles from my home, in the middle of the night. Besides, the occupants were all dead, crushed in the earthquake thousands of miles away in Greece, the news programs said there were no survivors. Except that someone was here. I heard a slight noise, it was faint, but someone was definitely moving inside the house. I heard a creak, woodwork shifting, but there was no doubt, it was a person moving. It must have been the stairs creaking as they descended. They were coming nearer. Then the door opened. The woman that stood there looked totally ancient to me, she must have been seventy or eighty. She had the kind of look you see in people that have done hard, low paid manual jobs their entire lives. Her skin was lined, her hair lank, thin, untidy. Well, it was the middle of the night so she had an excuse. She was wearing an old tartan robe and scruffy slippers. She peered at me through tired old eyes. �śYes?” Her voice was unexpected, not the fragile, shaky rasp I’d expected. It was the voice of a much younger woman. I stood straighter and tried to put some politeness and authority into my voice. �śI’m sorry about the late hour, but I’m very worried about the Andros family, there was an earthquake. Are they ok, do you have any news?” She stood there so long I wondered if she had understood what I had said. At last, she stood aside and said, �śYou’d better come in.” With relief, I went inside. She led me through to the kitchen and we sat down at the huge, bare, scrubbed wooden table. �śWould you like something to drink, I can make you a herbal tea?” Was that all they drank in this house? �śI wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.” Her eyes narrowed with a smile and I realized how absurd that statement was. Knocking at people’s doors in the early hours of the morning generally rated as putting them to some trouble. She got up and switched on the kettle. Then she sat back down. �śAre you a friend of the family?” �śNot really, I’m at school with Ethan.” �śAh.” That was all she said, she waited for the kettle to boil, then poured hot water on top of two herbal tea bags and stirred the cups. �śIt’s chamomile, is that alright for you?” �śYes, it’s fine, thanks.” I had absolutely no idea what chamomile was, but I wasn’t going to make a fuss. She brought the tea and sat down again. �śThere was an earthquake.” �śYes, I know.” �śOf course, you said,” she replied slowly. �śThey are not dead. It cannot be.” She couldn’t face it, I realized that, the possibility that they might have fallen victim to tons of falling masonry. �śBut do you have any definite news, a message that they survived, have you heard anything?” She shook her head. �śThey are not dead, it cannot be.” Well, ok, she was old, maybe a family member, she could not face up to the realities. But I needed to know for sure. �śMa’am, I appreciate that you don’t think they’re dead, but do you have any hard news, have they called?” �śThey have not called. They are not dead.” Jesus, I was going around and around in circles. �śSo you haven’t heard anything from them?” �śNo.” We sat there quietly, I sipped at the herb tea, it tasted like it had been made with old leaves swept up during the fall. I guess it was a healthy option, but I’d sooner have gone with juice or coffee. �śWould you like to take off your coat and hat?” she said abruptly.� I realized I was still wearing my thick raincoat and my woolly hat and gloves. But it was cold in the house, very cold. Colder than outside, in fact or so it seemed. It had seemed much warmer when Ethan and his mother were at home. �śNo, thank you, I have to get going soon.” I had wasted my time. I knew that. Either she was a bit senile or we were talking a different language, although her voice was clear her English was thickly accented, who was to know what she understood or not? I finished off my yucky tea and got up to go. �śI’ve got to get back. I’ll call in a couple of days and see if you’ve heard anything.” �śThey not dead.” I smiled gently. �śMa’am, I appreciate your confidence, let’s hope that when the news comes out you’re proved to be correct.” �śBut it cannot be.” �śYeah, I know that, but we need to know for sure.” �śI do know for sure. They are not dead.” �śBut how do you know?” I persisted. �śBecause they cannot die, the family, they cannot die.” �śWhy ever not?” �śIs not possible.” Dear God, I had had enough. �śWhy not?” She considered for a moment. Then she seemed to sniff the air, her eyes widened and she said, �śWhat did you say your name was?” I had not told her, so I introduced myself. �śI’m Claire, Claire Winter.” �śI thought so. Claire Winter. You must be careful.” �śYou mean in the woods?” She shook her head. �śThe woods, no, the woods are safe. But there are other things, they could be dangerous. You are almost old enough, if they think you are the one, they will come for you.” Maybe it was the lateness of the hour, but we didn’t seem to be speaking the same language. �śWho will come for me?” She shook her head again. �śWhen the family gets back, they will know what to do.” I had finished going around in circles, I hadn’t got a clue what she was talking about. I thanked her for the tea and she showed me out. The long walk through the woods seemed different. Although the old woman was not all there, maybe a bit dotty, she’d given me some confidence. She obviously knew something but didn’t have the command of the English language to get it out. But there was hope, grounds for thinking that Ethan might be ok. I slipped into my house and checked the time, it was gone three. I undressed quickly and put on my baby dolls, I needed everything to look normal in the morning. Then I got to bed and fell straight to sleep, I was so exhausted. Ethan came to me in the night. One moment I was enjoying a dream, the next minute he was there, appearing in my dream, standing in front of me. �śEthan!” �śClaire, you needn’t worry about me, I’m fine.” �śBut how could you survive, they said everyone was dead?” �śNo, we are safe.” �śThat old lady at your house, she said you couldn’t die.” �śEupraxia, yes, she’s a distant relation, she keeps house for the family.” �śBut what did she mean, you couldn’t die and something about someone coming after me?” �śShe was right, you could be in danger. Have you spoken to your father?” �śMy father, what’s he got to do with it?” �śYou don’t know?” I shook my head. �śClaire, you are very, very special, when we get back from Andros, I will come to you.” �śBut what’s going on, Ethan, what do you mean? You are back, aren’t you? Or is this a dream? For God’s sake, I’m so worried, tell me what’s going on!” �śListen to your father, Claire. He will tell you everything.” It was obviously the night of the obscure conversation. Well, real or imaginary, it was fantastic that Ethan was here, even if it was only a dream. And even if he was talking nonsense. I wondered who had taught him his English. �śI missed you, Claire,” he said, coming to sit on the side of my bed. �śI want to get into bed with you, don’t worry, you’re right, this is only a dream, you are quite safe.” �śOk,” I said doubtfully. I felt his body slide under the covers next to me, he was fully dressed, yet his clothes felt silky and soft, different. Or was that his skin I could feel touching me? He held me to him and I put my arms around him. �śTell me, Ethan, what did she mean, you can’t die?” �śIt’s an old thing, nothing you need concern yourself with, your father will tell you.” �śBut, Ethan�Ś” He put a finger to my lips. �śHush, don’t worry about it. I will be returning soon, then we can be together.” I hugged him to me, his body felt so warm and wonderful. We lay there quietly for what seemed like hours. I must have dropped off to sleep, Mom was calling me.� �śClaire, you’ll be late for school, didn’t you hear the alarm clock?” It was a wonderful dream, I was thinking about it all morning. Even the regular ambush at the school gate didn’t interest me. I heard Stella say something nasty, her eyes flared with that vivid brightness that was a bit scary. One of the boys, it might have been James or Roger, murmured curses and threats but I hardly heard them, least of all took any notice of them. Joanne ran to catch up with me. �śHey, I called to you outside the gate, you’re in a dream world.” �śSorry, Joanne, I’ve got things on my mind.” Then I saw she was carrying her sports bag. �śDamn, is it sports today?” �śYeah, we’re doing netball. Why, did you forget your kit?” I nodded. �śI didn’t sleep very well, it just slipped my mind.” �śI’ve got a spare skirt, I think Jessica’s got some sneakers, I’m sure we can rustle you up a shirt.” I thanked her and we went on into class, it was supposed to be some civics thing but this morning we had a priest in to tell us about modern morals. Father Ben Ryan was a new priest at the local Catholic Church. He had been to the school before and the general opinion was that he was a stuck up, obnoxious little squirt. He was short, a whisker over five feet tall, weedy and pasty with a little moustache that one of the boys said made him look like Adolf Hitler. Maybe he was related. But even worse, he was Stella Ryan’s older brother. His eyes were the giveaway, they had that strange light in them, they seemed to glow with a hard light, both hot and cold, whenever he stared at me, just like his sister’s but much more intense. Halfway through his talk he started spouting a load of nonsense about sex, which started a few giggles.� �śSex before marriage is a sin,” he thundered at us. There was a stirring in the hall, more than a few gasps and laughs. �śIt leads to all kinds of problems,” he continued. �śUnwanted pregnancies, AIDS, venereal disease, it is a sin.” He rambled on with more in that vein, stuff we had all heard before in different guises, boring drivel. Then I pricked up my ears. � �śSatan has appeared in our midst, in the streets of our town, in the dark woods,” he paused then. � Was he looking at me? Then I remembered Ranger Ryan, I’d guessed right, they really were the same family. Damn, news travelled fast in this town, I couldn’t do anything without being watched.� � �śDeep in the dark, dripping forests, the forces of evil are at work. You must beware to avoid their temptations, their stink of corruption, for the perversion of innocent young lives is their primary mission on this earth.” I had to say he had his audience spellbound. This was no ordinary talk. He was obviously passionate about what he was saying. Joanne was next to me. � �śHe’s off his trolley,” she grinned. I nodded. There was little doubt about that, but all the Ryans were unstable. Then again, the Ranger shouldn’t have been broadcasting my business around the town. Father Ryan was still ranting, I could see he was sweating now, rivulets of perspiration running down his pudgy face. � �śYou may think that these creatures of Satan are just something that you only see in movies. Well it is not true. Werewolves, zombies, Satan can manufacture anything, even vampires!” Then he did stare directly at me. Jesus Christ, he needed psychiatric treatment. He shouldn’t be here frightening the kids. Bring on the men in the white coats. He was a candidate for a straitjacket. �śSo when you come across a creature of the night, these abominations, these undead, these creatures that cannot die, beware, for they will lead you into the dark places of certain damnation.” He had really worked himself into a lather, I could see some of the teachers starting to look worried, I mean, this was total crap. Mrs. Granger came onto the stage and interrupted him, he looked startled when she appeared but she plowed on. � �śWe would all like to thank Father Ryan for his helpful and illuminating talk.” � � Of course we would, sure. She started to clap, the teachers joined in, none of us did, we were all watching, mesmerized and amused. Then some of the boys started to catcall, I heard names like �Śnutter’ and �Śloony’ tossed at the stage. He looked back at us angrily, then pointedly looked at me. �śYou’ll be damned, I tell you, damned!” Mrs. Granger led him off the stage and we filed out of the hall. I had a lot to think about, one thing the mad priest had said did strike a chord. �ŚCreatures that cannot die’. I had heard that before, from Eupraxia. But how did I know that her name was Eupraxia? Ethan had told me the name but it was only in my dream. The old woman never actually told me her name. I needed to know more, something was going on here that wasn’t clear to me and I didn’t like it, something dark and unpleasant. Most of all I hated the thought that it was putting the finger of evil on Ethan, which just was not true. I guess I wanted to clear his name, at least in my own mind. I had only met him twice. Once in the woods and, when he came to see me in my bedroom when I was home sick. No, there was the night before when he’d come to me, but that was a dream, surely. He was far away in Greece. I realized that I didn’t even know if he was still alive. There was only one thing for it, I decided I’d go back and look up the old lady again at the Andros house, there were questions that I wanted the answers to. But most of all I wanted Ethan, he was the strong, guiding hand that had led me through the dark wood. � In my soul I knew that meeting him that night has changed my life forever, as it if was pre-ordained. There was so much I needed to know. What was this �ŚSatanic’ nonsense? I mean, Mom was a Presbyterian and she’d taken me to church when I was younger, but I saw it now the way most kids I knew did, as an antiquated, outdated institution that suited old ladies in hats. I guess a lot of them were still waiting for rapture. So Satanism to me was just some kind of total bullshit.� Of course, the Catholics believed more in that stuff, they seemed to be heavily into exorcism and those weird rituals, but the Salem witch trials were a long time ago, no one really believed in that crap anymore. This was the age of the internet, Satan was definitely well past his sell-by date. But I did have so many questions weighing on my mind and the only way to deal with them was to go looking for answers myself. Asking Father Ryan anything would be a waste of time, besides, when he got heated he kind of spat phlegm all over your blouse. No, I’d have to try elsewhere, the internet of course, that would be a good starting point. � At lunchtime I didn’t bother with any food, I didn’t really feel hungry. Joanna picked up on it, of course. �śClaire, you’ll be starving, you ought to get something to eat.” I told her I wasn’t interested. �śIf you start missing meals it’ll make you ill,” she fired her parting shot. Yeah, there were several billion people in the world in front of me waiting to jump the queue for wasting away by starvation.� �śI was thinking about becoming a model,” I shouted as I walked quickly away. Great, that would get the tongues wagging, �ŚClaire’s starving herself to become a size zero model. She’s becoming anorexic, they’ll have to put her in a hospital.’ As I walked up the stairs to the library I luxuriated in the myth that I’d started and I knew would start to circulate around the school. Claire Winter, striding confidently along the catwalk, wearing the latest designer dress, sewn from enough material to make two pocket handkerchiefs and costing about five thousand dollars. Thin as a broomstick, six-inch heels, make up like a European royal princess. Perhaps not. � I found a spare terminal and loaded a browser and Googled Satanism. Lots of nonsense about people who wouldn’t have been out of place in an asylum, they were probably already there by now. Totally cuckoo. Then I came across Andros. I’d spotted the Greek island straight away in the middle of lots of other hits, it seemed to be a harmless tourist resort until the earthquake destroyed it, that got thousands and thousands of hits. Then another result caught my eye, something to do with vampires.� � It was only a snippet, so I Googled vampires and hit the motherlode.� �śWhat are you up to, Claire?” a voice said behind me. Until I’d bumped into Ethan, it was a voice I would have welcomed anytime. David Brougham, roughly the same age as me, a real nice guy. Except that he didn’t ever seem to notice me, not once, not until now. �śNothing much, David. Just killing time.” �śVampires? I didn’t know you were interested in that subject.” �śI’m not, it was just something that crazy priest said this morning, I thought I’d look it up. What are you doing in here?” In truth, David wasn’t much of a book person. As there were no games that could be played on the library computers, I couldn’t think what would interest him in here. He was a jock, sometimes played quarterback in the junior high team. All muscle, a tasty body but not a great deal up top. He was an ok guy, though, for all that. �śI saw you through the doorway and thought I’d look in and say hi.” �śRight. Hi to you, too.” He stood fidgeting so I asked him what he wanted. �śUh, well, I heard you were going to be a model.” Oh my God, that was what, ten minutes ago? �śMaybe, what’s it to you?” �śUh, you wouldn’t say anything to anyone, would you?” �śAbout what?” �śI wanted to ask you something, but it’s a secret.” �śOh sure,” I replied. �śYou can tell me.” �śIt’s just that, I’m, well�Ś” I immediately thought of my cousin-in-law John. �śAre you trying to tell me you’re gay, David?” �śWhat?” he shrieked. �śNo, absolutely not, where did you get that idea from?” I was smiling inside, I’d rocked him badly, really put him off his stride. After John telling me about his being gay, I guess I thought that every boy who stuttered about telling me something was going to be the same. David had gone red in the face. �śLook, David, I didn’t get that idea from anywhere, I just wondered what it was that was so secret.” �śYou did? Oh, right. I thought you meant that every guy that wanted to be a model was gay.” �śWell I don’t think that.” �śGood,” he said with some relief. �śBut I guess a lot of them are.” �śWhat, do you think that’s true?” �śProbably not, David. So that’s it, you want to become a model, a male model? I thought your folks wanted you to become a lawyer or something. Or was it a doctor?” �śA dentist, like my dad.” �śOk, so they won’t like this model thing, will they?” �śUh, maybe not, but you can earn huge amounts of money and meet lots of famous people, celebrities, film stars and so on.” �śLook, David, I was only half joking about the model thing, I really don’t know anything about it.” �śYou don’t?” �śNo.” �śRight. Well, I’m not really sure, when I heard about you becoming a model I got to thinking it would be a cool way to get rich. But I guess I maybe should go with the dentist thing, Pa said he’d get me a car when I started college, an import.” An import, the rich kid’s status symbol. �śThat’s nice.” �śYeah, well, I was up here originally to bone up on some science stuff, my essay is overdue.” �śOk, then.” �śI hear you’re ok with physics, chemistry, stuff like that. Straight As.” �śSometimes, yes. Not always.” He should have started dragging books off shelves, researching at one of the computer screens. But he stood up and left, he didn’t get it. I guessed if he knuckled down and did some studying he’d become a dentist, marry a Stepford Wife and be on his third divorce by the time he was a thirty five year old alcoholic. I thought more about the model thing, but it wasn’t for me. I didn’t see myself as one of those haughty, strutting, confident young women, bones sticking through the seams of a tight skirt. Maybe they looked good, but I just wasn’t that confident about my looks. I mean, I was ok, I’d had no shortage of boys asking for a date, most of whom I told to get lost, but I wasn’t any Kate Moss. So what did I want? Mom wanted me to become a veterinarian, for some reason. Trouble was, I wanted a life that was a bit more interesting, exotic, perhaps mysterious even. A travel writer would be good, that would get me around, I could even visit Andros. Ethan. That’s why I was here. I needed to know more about the mysterious, beautiful boy who had captured my imagination. And my heart, if I was truthful. Oh my God, would any other person have given me the strength to deliberately walk through that dark wood in the middle of the night? I don’t think so. I leaned forward to look at the screen, praying that no other would-be models would interrupt me. So vampires and Andros were linked. That was a start. I searched some more, but there was little that was of any real interest.� It was dawning on me that someone was trying to smear the Andros family, almost certainly Father Ryan, who saw demons behind every tree. His vicious sister Stella wasn’t much different, a nasty bully, why were they so spiteful about the Andros family? People saw a family from Greece, some of whom had a funny accent, looked a bit different to the norm. It was similar to the way some people looked at Hispanics really, they look different therefore they must be bad. So they were suggesting that the Andros’s were vampires, was that the deal? That was a laugh, for a number of reasons. Of course, there weren’t any such thing as vampires. Or demons, or Satan, or any of the numerous bogeymen that religious nutcases had touted over the centuries. It always seemed to be the bad guys lurking around the corner, waiting to jump out and rob you of your soul. Never the good guys, if there were so many of these demonic dudes roaming the country, where were the saints? If bad old Satan could engineer a stroll around the US of A, why couldn’t the ones at the top, Jesus and the disciples or whoever were flavor of the month, pop in for the odd visit? But of course, they never did, they left the coast clear for the demonic dudes, Satan’s sisters or whatever. It was just all so boring. It was also true that Stella Ryan was a nasty bully anyway, she didn’t need any excuse to bully me, no doubt her priest brother was just as bad. The first thing was to discount this vampire crap. Ethan wasn’t a vampire, they didn’t exist. It was such a stupid idea I didn’t even stop to consider it. So it was back to Google. There was little I hadn’t already seen, nothing more to clear up the mystery. I found a reference to the Greek myths, stuff about ancient battles between warring Gods, but nothing helpful. I’d heard about Jason and the Argonauts, or was that a cartoon when I was younger? Scylla and Charybdis, that rang a bell too, of course, it was the name of Ethan’s two dogs. Was that enough to call in the FBI, �ŚThis guy’s a vampire. Here’s the proof, he named his two dogs after Greek myths’? Not really, no. I felt annoyed at Father Ryan’s thinly veiled accusations, I was used to being kicked around myself, people always lashed out at anything or anybody who was different to them, so I guess that’s why the Andros family got it in the neck from Father Spit. It was time to get back for the first class of the afternoon. I walked in and there was a definite buzz when they clapped eyes on me. The model thing, yeah, suddenly the prospect of me being a celebrity made me desirable, in their eyes. But I didn’t want to be desirable, not to these hypocrites, not at all, I just wanted to be left alone. Joanne indicated the seat next to hers so I went and sat down.� �śSo you’re serious about this modeling thing, Claire? I thought about it afterwards, it could be good for you.” �śJoanne,” I said loudly, for all of their benefit, �śI am not planning to be a model. I was pulling your chain, it was a joke, just something to say. I’m sorry.” She was stunned, I got out my book and tried to concentrate. The teacher walked into class but Joanne’s mouth was still opening and closing like a goldfish. The prospect of being a �Śfriend of a celebrity’ had evaporated. She didn’t talk to me after class, just left in a bad mood.� After school, I went out the front door to cross the yard. Stella was there with Fiona.� �śHow’s the famous model today?” she started, her eyes blazing as usual. I realized that their detention must have ended. Pity. How about trying life imprisonment without parole? �śOk, I guess,” I flipped out as I went past them. Fiona stuck out a foot to try and trip me but it was an old ploy and I stepped around it. I heard one of them send a curse at my back but they’d need to do better than that. My exit run still wasn’t clear, David Brougham loomed in front of me. �śClaire, I think you’re crazy.” As a pick up line it wasn’t the warmest, most direct way to a girl’s heart I’d ever heard. �śGee, thanks David.” �śNah, I mean, crazy nice. I didn’t care about all that model crap anyway.” �śMe neither.” �śThink about it, you’re not really cut out for that kind of life, are you?” I couldn’t imagine why not. I wasn’t thin as a piece of stripped bamboo, wasn’t regal and elegant, didn’t have a flawless complexion, wasn’t always perfectly made up, hair glossy, immaculate and without a strand out of place and I didn’t have the innate ability to walk on shoes with heels high enough to need planning permits, but apart from that, yeah, I’d be fine. �śSo I’m crazy and not good enough to be a model. Anything else before I leave, David?” The poor guy looked a bit stricken. �śNo, I didn’t mean it like that. Thing is, Claire, I like you, I’d like to, sort of, hang out with you.” My radar antenna shot up. He wasn’t my type, really. I wasn’t his type either. We both knew it, so what was behind all this? We stood for a while in silence, I could see Mom’s car outside. �śEr, what did you want, David?” �śI’m stuck with my science essay, I er, wondered if you might be able to, er, take a look at it.” At least he was honest. �śI’ll think about it, ask me next week.” He nodded and I walked away. An interesting day at school, Joanna upset, Stella’s witch coven still hacking away at me, David trying to con me into writing his essay. Yep, about average. The rest of the week at school was little better, each day I tried to find out more about what had happened on Andros, each day I tried to keep away from my tormentors. But I couldn’t find out anything new and I became more and more frustrated. Finally,I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, it was Friday afternoon. At least school was finished for another week. Hold up, Mom had a face like one of those big fish you see on a slab in the market.� �śHi, honey.” �śHi, Mom, what’s up?” She looked surprised. �śWhy should anything be up?” �śMom!” �śI lost my job. I don’t know what I’m going to do, Claire.” She was almost in tears. Ok, so it truly was a full house, just about everyone I knew had issues and problems, and Ethan was still missing, presumed�ŚNo, he wasn’t dead! I didn’t take any notice of what the old woman had said, whatever her name was. In my dream it was Eupraxia, but no, it would be something else. She said he couldn’t die, well that was all bullshit, of course. I was going out there this weekend, during civilized, daylight hours this time, and try and find out more from her. My attention went back to Mom, I felt so sorry for her, she was stricken, her face pale. She drove home in silence, biting her lip occasionally to stop herself from crying. She was bad company that evening, only to be expected, moping around, weeping and wailing. �śOh, Claire, I wish your father hadn’t left me.” My father! I remembered what Ethan had said, �Śask your father’. But ask him about what, when did I ever even see him? I wished I could spend more time with him, but his visits were few, and far between. Him and Mom didn’t get on well, no not at all, as if there was some unspoken nastiness between them.� �śYeah, me too. I kind of miss having him around. Do you know what he’s doing these days?” �śLast I heard, he’d moved to New Orleans, he set up a company there.” �śA company? What do they do?” �śSame as he did before, some kind of travel excursion outfit.” �śIs it successful?” Mom thought for a moment. �śYeah, yeah, I think so. Funny kind of business, weird customers, he organizes trips to Europe, some the old communist countries, I think Bulgaria was one. Greece, Serbia, places like that.” Greece! Now this was getting interesting. I hadn’t seen my dad in a long time and it seemed he had connections in Greece. He might, just might be able to find out about Andros, about Ethan even. �śHow can I contact him, Mom? I’d like to get to know my dad more after all this time, it’s been too long.” She looked shocked. �śWhy would you want to get in touch with him, I’m not too happy, after all, it’s been so long?” But she didn’t say it with much conviction. Then she surprised me, I was trying to work out how to engineer a meeting with him when she said, �śActually, I’m meeting your father tomorrow, he’s in the area and he’s coming to talk to me about my alimony. We’re trying to work things out now that I’m not earning.” �śFine, I’ll come with you then.” She didn’t say yes, she didn’t say no. That was a better result than I normally got. The following evening we were sitting in the living room of a five star hotel in town with my father and his girlfriend. Megan Waterhouse wasn’t like I had expected. Nor was my dad. I thought he’d look, well, more like the father of a fifteen year old, older and a bit worn. He looked terrific, fit and pretty cool, like a guy of about twenty-five. Megan Waterhouse looked even younger. We did the usual things, hugs and kisses, how are you, what are you up to, how’s school? Then he and Mom went off to talk business. Megan was more like a big sister than the big wicked cross between a hooker and a withered old witch that Mom had painted her. Like Dad, she looked really good, in fact she looked more like Dad’s sister than his girlfriend, they were so alike, kind of dark hair and eyes, ivory skin, and an elegance that was, well, like something that was in their genes. I wondered if I would age like that, I wouldn’t complain. They were so alike that I wasn’t at all surprised that Dad had gone off with her. I felt guilty, disloyal to Mom for even thinking that way, but people had to live their lives as they wanted to. We got chatting some more and then I asked her about the business they were in. �śYou know about that?” she asked, surprised.� �śYes, of course, I know all about the business. Tell me, do you know anything about Andros? I was going to ask Dad, but he’s tied up with Mom.” She nodded slowly, �śRight, well I guess I can tell you. Andros is a pretty hot destination, or used to be. It’s been devastated in the earthquake, but they’ll have the important parts rebuilt for the ceremonies.” �śCeremonies?” �śYes, twice a year, like the other places.” �śWhat kind of ceremonies would they be?” �śYou know, the regular gatherings, although we have to be careful, our enemies are getting stronger.” I shook my head, this was not what I wanted to hear, this wedding or anniversary or enemy shit. Enemies, did she mean business rivals? �śWell, what about all these vampire stories on the island?” �śWell, yes, we try to keep it quiet, but people talk.” Oh, my God! Chapter 4 I guess that in that moment the daylight dawned, a growing awareness started to seep into my mind. Life had always been like a jigsaw puzzle, lots of little pieces scattered across a table in some sort of random pattern. But if nobody tells you it’s a jigsaw, how can you ever work it out? All those years, feeling so different, like some sort of a freak, like they were always looking at me, other kids, adults. You read self-help books and surf the �Śnet, find out about stuff like Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, all the modern buzz-words and phrases. The pearls of wisdom that spew out of the mouths of these positive thinking gurus like �ŚI positively guarantee that if you buy my book or come to my seminar, you’ll feel much better about yourself.� Oh, and incidentally, I’ll be a bit richer too’.� � These people make everyone feel like they have something lacking, usually their latest book. But how can you fix something that isn’t broken? If the way you are is the way you are wired, like John, my step-cousin, what’s to fix? He was born gay, no amount of self-help crap or revivalist preacher thundering about God’s will was ever going to change what was fundamentally inside. � I understood all at once maybe I was different. Dad was involved in some mysterious thing that was involved with the Island of Andros, as well as other places with dark histories. I had his blood running in my veins so where did that leave me? How did it affect me? The puzzle went around and around, Andros, vampires, Eupraxia and her crazy warnings, the mad priest pounding away at me, the dream when Ethan appeared. Yes, I had his genes. I was part of him. But what part, and how did that make me different? And I was still no further forward on Andros, or the fate of Ethan. Was that why I was attracted to him, because of his connection with the odd happenings on Andros that also involved my father? Was Ethan truly different, was I really different? Or just a mixed up fifteen-year old kid? �śMegan, you lived in the town before you, er, you know�Ś” �śRan off with your father?” �śYeah, I guess. Did you know the Andros family?” �śOf course I did, they went on our excursions several times to the island they’re named after, Andros.” �śI see, right. I went over to their house the other day, they were away, their housekeeper said they were away visiting Andros.” �śOh yes, Eupraxia, she’s really lovely, isn’t she? But she’s not really their housekeeper. She’s a relation.” So her name was Eupraxia. How the hell could that be? It had just been a dream when Ethan told me, I was sure of that. Dad came back and sat down. �śYou’re looking good, honey. School ok?” �śYeah, Dad, it’s fine.” We chatted for a while, he asked me more about school, life in general. Then it was my turn.� �śSo what’s this business thing you’re doing down in New Orleans?” �śNothing special, we just organize tours, excursions and stuff to Europe.” �śSo tell me about Andros, Dad.” He looked across at Mom. I saw her give him a sharp, warning look. What was going on, I wondered? How much did she know, what hadn’t she told me? �śIt’s just a Greek island, very popular, got hit with an earthquake.” �śSo what about these vampire stories, tell me about those?” There was a long pause, Mom was looking at him very warily. She knew something. � �śAnother time, honey. Anyway, you should know there are no such things as vampires.” I saw Mom relax. I didn’t argue, I sensed that I’d have to push it later. It is always better to fight the battles when you know you have already won them. Didn’t some Greek philosopher say that? It always seemed to come back to Greece these days. But he didn’t want to discuss it and I was sure I knew why. Dad just didn’t know yet that that he would be telling me before much longer, whether he liked it or not. �śWhat about the Andros family?” Another pause, then, �śMom said you met the Andros boy, Ethan.” �śI did, yes.” �śThey went to Andros, you knew that?” �śYes.” �śSo, there was an earthquake that wiped out the whole population.” �śI know that, Dad.” �śSo what do you want to know?” �śI want to know if Ethan’s family survived.” It was like trying to get water out of the desert, drop by drop I was getting it but it wasn’t being given up willingly. �śRight.” More shuffling of feet, pregnant pauses, looks from beneath eyebrows. �śIt’s a simple question, Dad, did they survive or not?” �śWell yes, they did.” �śBecause they cannot die?” I fired back at him. He was really rocked then. �śWhat do you know, Claire, who’ve you been talking to?” For some reason I looked across the restaurant then, I was trying to get my thoughts together. Father Ryan was at the next table, having dinner with his sister, Stella. My chief tormentor Stella. She had clearly been listening to our conversation, which meant they both had. Her lips were twisted into a nasty, triumphant smile. But her brother’s expression was something entirely different. His look was malevolent, truly evil, filled with hate and spite. His face had gone red, his eyes blazed, he almost appeared to be shaking with rage. No, I looked again, he was actually was shaking with rage. Then he couldn’t contain himself any longer, he got up and came to our table. �śDo you know the reward for lying in bed with Satan? It is blasphemous and sinful and the wages of sin are death. Your very presence in this town, Winter, is a blight on our community, to all decent, hardworking people. You are a disgrace, a foul pestilence on our society, a cesspit of dark iniquity.” To his credit, Dad was totally unmoved, as if he’d dealt with lunatics like this in the past. �śHiya, Ben, how are you doing?” he replied to the apoplectic priest.� �śI am doing God’s work,” Father Ryan replied. �śHe will smash sinners like you and your kind, grind them into dust.” �śNo forgiveness, eh? You haven’t changed, Ben. Still the same old fanatic. I bet you get the old ladies twitching during your Sunday sermons. Maybe I’ll come and listen sometime, I could do with some entertainment.” Ryan glared at Dad, his hate growing in intensity, if his red face turning to purple was anything to go by. �śYou may mock, Winter, but your day is coming. I read that your evil little island was wiped out by an earthquake, you know that was God’s doing.” �śReally? So where was your God when thousands of innocent people were killed, Ben?” �śThey were sacrifices in the name of God’s work, they will get their reward in heaven.” �śReward for what, Ben? My customers were all untouched.” Ryan looked as if he was about to launch himself at Dad, who was obviously enjoying winding up the priest. Ryan shook violently but seemed unable to get his words together. Dad went on with his calm response. � �śSo your God sacrificed thousands of innocents for nothing Ben. Bit of an own goal for him, wasn’t it? But then again, he is only your part-time employer, isn’t he, Ben?� What about your main work, plenty of mischief to make there?” That was it, he went totally crazy then. Foam was literally coming out of his mouth as he struggled to find the words to deal with my dad, the usual spray of spittle started to flick out. I noticed Dad edge back to stop it hitting his shirt front. �śI curse you, Guy Winter. Curse you and all who have dealings with you, you are all cursed. Damn you all.” Then he stamped out of the restaurant, Stella hurrying after him, her face now screwed up in hate as she looked at our table. The whole room went silent with embarrassment, the manager rushed over to us. �śI’m truly sorry, that was a disgraceful display. May I bring you a fresh round of drinks?” Dad nodded. �śYeah, that would be fine, but don’t worry, we’re ok.” �śI think we’ve got some things to discuss, Claire, you must be curious about all this, this enmity between me and Father Ben Ryan.” �śYeah, that would be a start.” I thought of Ryan, his mad eyes glowing a bright, artificial red at the height of his anger. Not natural. �śWhat was that about his main work, being a priest was only part-time? What did you mean, Dad?” �śNot here, Guy, please,” Mom intervened quickly. �śWe live in this town. At least, I live here with Claire, don’t make it any worse than it is.” �śHow would you like to come and visit me in New Orleans, Claire, we’ll talk about everything then?” Mom and I spoke together. � I said, �śThat would be great.” � She said, �śNo way, she’s too young to go down there on her own.” �śCatherine, Hurricane Katrina’s over now, the place is practically rebuilt.” �śI wasn’t thinking of Hurricane Katrina, I was thinking of you filling her head with all of that mumbo-jumbo nonsense.” I was listening intently, it seemed that I knew so little about my family. Mumbo-jumbo, what the hell was that all about? Mom spoke as if I didn’t want to know, as if any fifteen-year old girl wouldn’t want to know, as if. �śLook, there’s nothing you need to concern yourself with down there, none of this mumbo-jumbo stuff as you call it, no séances or witches covens,” he stopped and laughed. �śFor God’s sake, she’s fifteen-years old, Catherine, she should be able to visit her father.” They argued back and forth for ages, Megan looked at me sympathetically, smiled and raised her eyebrows. I liked her, she was attractive, exotic, interesting. I looked forward to spending time with her as well as Dad, if they could come to some agreement. Which they did, eventually I heard them starting to discuss travel arrangements and I knew that I was on the way to New Orleans. And what else? It was rumored to be a place of mystery, dark practices, voodoo, whatever. It would make a change from the small town I lived in, which was so dull. I might even like it so much that I could persuade Mom to let me stay there with Dad, visions of me in school, mixing with dark-faced voodoo practitioners and pale-faced white magicians. Yes! Except that I couldn’t do that, Ethan lived here. Damn, that was a problem. We left the restaurant and I said goodbye to Dad and Megan. We went home, Mom was unusually quiet. Just before bedtime, she said something curious. �śYou don’t need to believe everything your father tells you, Claire.” I nodded. �śOk, Mom.” What on earth did she mean by that? It was strange that night, I had weird dreams about New Orleans, black guys playing jazz music, shops selling voodoo stuff, chickens sacrificed, running around graveyards without their heads. I awoke several times in the night, wondering if my dream of Ethan was about to re-occur, but it never happened. The following day I was effectively grounded, I was well behind with my homework and Mom was in a tough kind of mood after meeting with Dad, so arguing with her was going to be a waste of time. I wanted to go out to the Andros house again, but it wasn’t going to happen. Besides, next weekend I was visiting Dad in New Orleans, so maybe he would fill in some of the answers I was looking for. A week in the Louisiana city was something to look forward to, to break the monotony of this stuffy, stifling little town. It was partially the reason for going, that was what I thought, to break the monotony as well as find out more about the mystery of Ethan and his family home of Andros. Maybe New Orleans would be my kind of town, for sure I felt like a Martian visiting planet earth in this place. Over lunch, Mom did a quick check of my wardrobe. �śYou can’t visit the city without some nice clothes, Claire, do you need anything special?” �śI could do with some T-shirts, Mom, a new skirt and a pair of new jeans would be nice. Maybe some underwear.” She grinned. �śWhat about a new fur coat at the same time? I’m not made of money you know, especially since I lost my job.” I pulled a face, fur, yuck. In the end she took me to the local mall and bought me three T-shirts, ones I’d liked but hadn’t seen before in the store, one of them had �ŚBoys like Girls’ written in bloody letters on the front. She bought me a new skirt and threw in a black hoodie, some skinny jeans and a new pair of Converse hi-top sneakers.� � �śYou can’t wear your Doc Martens all the time, honey.” At least I wouldn’t go visiting looking like some nerdy kid from a Kansas farming community. We got home, I finished up my homework and I spent the evening researching New Orleans on Google. One clip caught my eye. It said that in certain areas of rural Louisiana, some plantations had the exterior keyholes turned upside down to prevent entry of the �Śundead’. Weren’t they vampires? It also said that unhappy spirits of the dead were believed to bring disease into households. Ok, then. For many years, yellow fever epidemics were blamed on such as these unhappy or evil spirits. Early cemeteries in Louisiana were often placed far from towns, many times at a crossroads, to discourage the spirits from finding their way home. These tactics were called �Śconfusing the spirit’. Ok, it was great for the tourists, I guess, but not really much help to me. I wasn’t planning on raising the dead, not just yet, anyway. It wasn’t that I thought my dad was a vampire or anything like that, although that would be both so cool and totally and utterly ridiculous. At the same time, he was involved in something, that was obvious, and as his daughter, it concerned me to know what it was. This voodoo, vampire, black magic thing was a bit like religion, lots of rumors but no real proof that it existed. It was good for the people involved, people like Father Ryan who had some status in the town as the local Catholic priest and other ministers who made their living, their careers, out of people’s belief in their particular take on the Almighty. I mean, not to knock them, but they couldn’t all be right, could they? The tourist industry in New Orleans and other places relied on this mysterious, religious and black magic stuff. Like Andros, when it wasn’t being ripped apart by earthquakes. Divine retribution, ha, divine bullshit more like. Shit happened, that was a lesson I’d learned early and lived with every day of my life. Thinking about Father Ryan who made his living as a Catholic priest reminded me of what Dad had said, that it wasn’t his main activity. That was interesting, so what was the spitting priest up to when he wasn’t in the confessional box frightening old ladies? That would be a juicy piece of gossip to uncover. I went into school the next morning, I was happily anticipating the coming weekend, waiting to learn the answers to all of the questions I had for my dad. But for now I had to be careful, I was just waiting for my tormentors to strike, especially after the spat between Ryan and Dad in the restaurant. Stella, Fiona, Britney and Mae were lurking on the steps as usual. Except it wasn’t as usual. All four of them just nodded in a cool sort of way as I went past them. That was not good. These four girls were about as friendly as an Arab when you tried to steal his camel. I looked down at my clothes, short, tartan school skirt just like they were wearing, nothing showing under the hem. My trusty Doc Martens, no gaping holes in my thick school pantyhose, blouse and school blazer were all ok. Did I have something on my face, a make-up blunder? I opened my locker and looked at the mirror, nothing wrong there, I just wore the usual faint trace of makeup that wasn’t enough to upset the teachers. Hair looked fine, swept back into a ponytail. Nothing, so I was very, very suspicious. We had our civics class and once more there was our old friend Father Ben Ryan back on the stage to explain to us how we could avoid eternal damnation.� � I could have saved his time. In my case I was already doomed, I experienced varying degrees of damnation every day, it was called life. Life with people who never seemed to be on the same wavelength, as if I saw the color red as red and they saw it as blue, a total opposite. The priest was on form again this morning, quickly working himself up into a foaming storm. I guess the kids nearest the front got his spittle all over them. If I were them in the front row, I’d have put up an umbrella to stop the spit getting on me. I think I’d be looking for an AIDS test. I mean, priests! Who knew what they’d been up to these days or where they’d been? So he ranted on and we got the dark forces of hell speech, repent to be saved, no sex before the age of forty, well, before marriage, anyway. He went into his �Śevil stalks the earth’ rant and finally came to an abrupt end, even the teachers were startled, waiting for him to reveal more of the mysteries and dangers of life to us ungrateful sinners. But he was finished, he nodded to Mrs. Granger and stalked off the stage. I don’t know who started it, but lots of them started to laugh, even more so than before, I couldn’t blame them. He’d completely blown his top. We filed out of the hall still giggling and started towards our classrooms. I was on my own, thinking about some of the weird things that had happened to me recently when a door next to me opened, Stella and Fiona literally leapt out, grabbed an arm each and pulled me into the room. I was so shocked I didn’t even have time to resist too much. Until I saw Father Ryan standing inside the room, Britney and Mae were with him too. The room stank of some kind of spicy incense. Ryan looked at me with his blazing, loopy eyes. �śClaire Winter, you have the devil within you. I can remove it for you. But you must come with me to a place of safety.” �śNo thanks, I’m fine where I am. Aren’t you a bit old to be playing around with schoolgirls?” �śYou think to mock me, to mock the severity of demonic possession?” I was getting a bit nervous now. �śEr, look, I’ve got to get to my class. Let me go.” That was to Stella and Fiona, who still had hold of my arms. They just grinned, it wasn’t a pleasant grin. Malicious was a word I would have used to describe the way they looked. Ryan started incanting some sort of chant form a thick, leather bound book he was holding. It wasn’t in English, I guessed it was some sort of Latin. He droned on, it was a foreign language. I’d heard it before in some kind of a movie, was it Arabic or something, maybe Greek? But I was getting seriously worried by now, this was no ordinary hazing. �śLook, you let me go or I’ll call the cops,” I shouted. His voice rose to a high pitch, then he shouted, something totally unintelligible in crazed sort of voice. He seemed to sober up after that, he gave a meaningful look to Stella, she peeked out of the door and came back in and nodded.� �śIt’s all clear,” she said to him.� He rummaged in his case came out with a hypodermic syringe. I couldn’t believe this was happening, this was a school, a safe environment and Ryan was a Roman Catholic priest. Then he came towards me and lifted the syringe.� �śThis will calm you down for your journey, Claire, just relax while I give it to you.” Then I kicked out with all of my strength and caught him right between the legs. He screamed in pain and shock. Stella and Fiona jumped back in alarm and I took the opportunity to pull myself free and go for the door. They came after me and I hit out, knocking Fiona to the floor and struggling with Stella. Then the others came to help, the priest and the girls. They had hold of me and were dragging me to the floor, I despaired of ever getting out of there, this was worse than the normal shit I had to stand every day, much worse. Abruptly the closed door opened with a crash as it hit the wall behind it. A look of fear crossed their faces as they felt a violent wind surge through the opening. It was amazing, like a tornado, but this was indoors. At one point, the wind seemed to almost become an entity with a shape, a faint, ghostly outline, an outline of something familiar. The four girls and the priest were all thrown backwards, but I was able to run through the open doorway. I heard a voice that said, �śRun, Claire, run.” I ran, all the way to my next class. During my life I’d encountered some real weirdoes and oddballs, people who might have been better if they were locked up, but the way they’d behaved today was something else. Especially the priest, at least Stella and her cronies were kids and presumably had been led by the nose. Not so, Father Ryan. He should know better, whatever crazy fantasies he had about God and Satan, he should know better than to condone, what amounted to kidnap and illegal imprisonment, in a school of all places.� � What the hell was he doing with that hypodermic, �Śtake me to a place of safety’? Was he really going to give me a knock-out dose and kidnap me, it didn’t make sense? Until, I remembered the warning from the old woman, Eupraxia, to beware of people who were after me. But a priest! That was crazy.� There was something else I needed to think about too, that strong wind, the gale that had thrown them back allowing me to get free. Because at one point, the wind had become like lines of force, that formed a ghostly shape. The shape was of a face, a face I had seen before, even in my dreams. The ethereal voice was a voice I had heard before, too. Ethan. Ok, so something really peculiar was going on now, I had not been asleep in bed dreaming, this was the cold, harsh reality of my miserable high school. I slowed down, walked into class and sat down, thoughtful about what I had seen, but I just could not work it out. There was only one explanation to fit the bill. If I discounted the paranormal, it was something in my own mind that I was starting to unravel. Except that when I caught sight of Stella, Fiona, Britney and Mae, they trooped in late and sat at the back of class, they were white with fear, all four of them. That was not in my imagination. What was the deal? If it was not in my mind, then it must be the paranormal, but that did not make sense. Not any sense I could see, anyway. I didn’t discuss it with anyone or report it. What was the point, if people believed you that made you a whiner, if they didn’t you were crazy? A priest trying to kidnap me, in broad daylight from school, good God, what next? They would send for the men in white coats to come and take me away. Long experience had shown me that the safest course was to say nothing. Joanna joined me at lunch. �śWhat the hell’s the matter with Stella and her friends, I’ve never seen them look so strange? They look as if they’ve seen a ghost.” I could of course say �Śyeah, well actually they did see a ghost’, but what the hell? �śI hadn’t noticed, they look pretty normal to me, normal for them anyway. Maybe one of the spells they were brewing in their cauldron went wrong.” They left me alone for the rest of the day, but I wasn’t fooled. Today was Monday, the long walk home when Mom was doing Pilates, or Indonesian Meditation or Nepalese Spider Dancing or something. I started to walk home after school, half hoping that they had been truly scared off and half expecting them to appear around the next corner like a dentist’s appointment, unwelcome but inevitable. They did not disappoint. I turned by McAlister’s Hardware and there they were, the four of them.� �śHi, Claire, we want a word with you,” Stella said with a nasty, evil look on her face. I could not go forward and refused to back away, so I waited. �śNothing to say to us? My brother reckons you’re infected with Satan’s spawn.” �śYeah? Is it catching?” Her face darkened, got even nastier. I almost laughed then, they were so dumb with this pseudo religious nonsense, but you did not handle kids like this by laughing at them. Then the door of the empty store next to McAlister’s opened and Father Ryan stood there, stark, gaunt, lean and bitter. I had seen illustrations of the Spanish Inquisition in medieval Europe, when Catholic priests tortured people to get them to confess to being heretics. Or not heretics, I could not remember which. But in the illustrations, that’s how they always looked. What was this fruitcake going to do, burn me at the stake? His eyes truly frightened me though, glowing, deep and red, like the craters of an exploding volcano. Come to think of it, Stella’s eyes were glowing too, really glowing, I had never seen them look so strange, not that strange, anyway. The four girls grabbed me and started dragging me through the door, Ryan was still ranting. �śYou were saved before by the forces of evil, only if you come with me will the demon in you be exorcised.” They pushed me into a chair and the four girls held me. The priest started the weird chant, strange words that I hadn’t got a clue what they meant. Probably he hadn’t either, so I guess it didn’t matter. Then he reached into a briefcase on the floor and got out the hypodermic again. Whatever he intended for me, it was not good. Not good at all. I remembered Eupraxia’s warning again. He also had a medicine bottle and a plastic cup.� �śPerhaps you are frightened of syringes, Claire, I’ve prepared the mixture for you to swallow instead. �śYou must be crazy, I’m not taking any of that crap whichever way you want me to.” �śOh, you will, you will,” he snarled. He held my nose and I had to open my mouth to breathe, he pushed the bottle in and I felt the liquid enter my mouth. Then he stood back and started the foreign nonsense. After a couple of sentences, he looked closely at me. �śDid you swallow it, is the spirit driven out?” � He was bringing up the hypodermic, trying to make his movement look innocent, obviously to inject me to make sure. Idiot! He obviously had not ever been a ten-year old kid with a fever and a desperate mother trying to force some foul tasting medicine down their throat. Didn’t know the tricks of the trade, how to hold it in your mouth and spit it out when she wasn’t looking. They were all close to my face, waiting for Ryan to administer the drug in the syringe, to see my horror as his drug injected in my veins. I spat, they’d wanted to see something, I’d give it to them, I squirted the foul smelling, foul tasting liquid into the priest’s face. I had enough to give the girls a taste as well, squirting the last of it at them. I had time to notice that Fiona had her mouth open and she swallowed some of the liquid, good, then I was up and pushing the door open. They had not locked it, so it swung open wide and I was out into the street and running home. I didn’t hear anything behind me, I was clear, I ran home, not slowing until just before I reached the house. I dashed inside. Mom looked surprised. �śAre you ok, honey?” she asked anxiously. What was I supposed to say? A crazed priest has twice tried to drug and kidnap me. The first time a weird, magic wind saved me, oh yes, it had the face and voice of Ethan. That was the surefire shortcut to the asylum. So I said nothing and went upstairs to do my homework. I booted up my PC and Googled �Śexorcism’ and �Śkidnap’. Some said exorcism was still practiced, some said it was consigned to the dark ages, though more than one person had disappeared after they were reported as being possessed by the devil. But it didn’t make sense, like so many things in my life. I could tell that our local oddball priest was no believer, whatever he wanted it was nothing to do with exorcism or satanic possession. Once more, there was an agenda here that I knew nothing about, the only person I trusted to talk to me about it all was Dad. � � Then Mom called me down for dinner and asked me did I still want to go to New Orleans. That was like asking George Washington did he want to cross the Delaware River. I felt it was my fate, my destiny to go. I had a million questions for Dad and his enigmatic girlfriend, Megan. Questions that I hoped would clear up some of the mystery that I felt was part of me, part of my life. I knew that lots of girls thought they were different, but this was something else. I was part of a family history that was shrouded behind a thick curtain of secrecy, myth and mystery and it was time that the curtain was pulled aside. I would have to keep a very low profile for the rest of the week at school, make sure I always stayed with someone, not get caught alone. On the Friday evening I caught the late Greyhound bus to New Orleans. The journey lasted all night, we were due to arrive at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal at just after seven the next morning. I was too interested in the places we passed on the way to be tired. Some creepy guy tried to talk to me, he was ok at first but he started to touch me on the arm, then the shoulder, it wouldn’t be long before he touched me somewhere more intimate. He asked me who I was visiting in New Orleans and I told him my girlfriend, we were setting up home and intending to get a civil marriage. I wasn’t sure if that was the right phrase for it, but his hand came away as if I was made of red hot iron and he gave me a sharp look of contempt, then moved away to another seat six rows back. A young woman of about twenty, was sitting in the seat in front, she turned around and smiled. �śNeat move, that got rid of the sucker.” She got up and came to sit next to me in the seat that was now free. She must have seen my look because she said quickly, �śDon’t worry, I know you’re not a dyke. I’m not either, I just thought you might want someone to chat to, it’s a long journey.” Her name was Olivia, she was a writer, she said, going to New Orleans to research a new book. �śIt’s a book about the occult,” she said. �śYou know, black magic, vampires and things like that. Do you know much about those things?” She looked at me closely as she asked that but I shook my head. �śSorry, no.” �śWell, there are so many fascinating stories and people that seem to be found in that city, I’m hoping that I’ll get a lot of material for my book.” �śWhat sort of stuff have you been looking at?” I asked her. �śOh, everything, witches, wizards, voodoo, vampires. Spells and sorcery, it’s amazing how many people still believe in all of that stuff.” Isn’t it just, I thought. How would you like the name of a certain priest, for starters? The bus droned on, I didn’t say anything for a while, I just didn’t want her to think I had any great interest in the supernatural, people always wanted to suck you dry if they thought you had something they wanted. I felt her looking at me again. �śDo you believe in those things at all, Claire?” I shook my head, �śNo, not really. I mean, none of it is true, is it?” �śI don’t know. I have been researching for the past eight months and seen some odd things, really odd. I spent some time in Europe looking at vampire legends and a lot of people over there believe it’s real enough.” I forced a grin on my face. �śI think it is all bullshit, but I guess some of these people will believe anything.” �śPossibly. I met a young man over there, he looked younger than me. It turned out he came to America once.” I nodded. Thrilling. �śDuring our War of Independence, he was a French soldier, came over here to fight.” �śBut that was more than two hundred years ago.” �śYes, I know. He was as Bunker Hill, described it quite accurately too.” �śBut that’s impossible,” I said. �śI know.” Olivia gave me her card, her full name was printed on it, Olivia Constable, with the subtitle �ŚHistorian’. It had her cell number on it and she told me to get in touch if I fancied meeting up for a drink or something in New Orleans. I had a few days to think about it, I told her I probably would. I had made up my mind I probably would not. Then I put my head against the headrest and dropped off into a troubled sleep, every time I dozed, the bus hit a bump in the road and I came half-awake. � My dream was really weird, I was in New Orleans, I’d been kidnapped, staked out, tied on a Satanic altar, there was a nasty looking guy standing over me with a knife to stick in me. His face was blurred at first then cleared into the face of Father Ben Ryan, crazed, maddened, evil. He brought the knife down at the last moment a hand grabbed it, twisted and the knife fell away. My rescuer freed me from my bonds, took me in his arms and carried me out of the dark place where I had been held. Behind us someone was howling in pain, it was Father Ryan. I looked up at the face of my knight in shining armor and it was Ethan, looking godlike and determined, strong and speedy, carrying me to safety. Then I woke as the bus gave a particularly strong lurch. I wondered when I would see Ethan again. He was alive I was absolutely certain, but that posed a problem. If he was alive, that meant he could not be killed, and if he couldn’t be killed, then what? We were almost there Olivia asked me if I was ok. I told her yes, I was puzzled why she should ask me that question, I’d made it pretty clear I wasn’t a runaway. �śYou were calling out in your sleep, shouting at one point, but I didn’t want to wake you. Something about �Śhe cannot die’, over and over again. Strange, that’s what the people who claim knowledge of vampires say, you know, �Śhe cannot die’.” I shrugged. �śWell I’m not a vampire.” She smiled. �śOf course you’re not. So you are staying with your father in New Orleans?” �śYes, that’s right, he’s meeting me at the bus station.” �śWell, I hope you have a good time, I’m a bit nervous myself. They say that it can be dangerous if you look in the wrong places, I honestly don’t know what I’m going to find.” �śI doubt it’s much different to any other city in the US, apart from the music, of course. I think you will find the magic thing is all a bit of a myth. One for the tourists.” She laughed. �śI’m sure you’re right, but just in case, I’ve taken precautions.” �śReally, what sort of precautions?” �śLike this,” she pulled the collar of her blouse to one side, she was wearing a tiny vial, a miniature glass bottle on the end of a chain. It hung down between her cleavage.� �śIt’s holy water, it came from the shrine at Lourdes in France.” �śRight.” She smiled at my singularly unimpressed response. �śWell, ok, it may all be nonsense, but you never know. I’ve got this, too.” Behind the collar of her jacket she had a herb, fastened with a safety pin. �śIt’s garlic, it’s supposed to keep vampires at bay.” �śOk, well I hope it works for you.” I did wonder though, how did she know my name, I didn’t remember telling her it and how the hell could people believe in this rubbish, it was crazy? Like Father Ryan and his exorcism. The best place for that nonsense was in the garbage, he should stop frightening teenage girls. The bus was driving through the city now and a few minutes later we were pulling into the bus station. Dad was waiting there for me with Megan, they both waved. I climbed off the bus and Dad went to get my bag from the luggage compartment, Megan gave me a hug. �śLovely to see you, Claire, you’ll love this city, I know you will. I can’t wait to show you the sights.” A funny thing, Olivia came past, recognized me. �śHave a great time, Claire.” As she walked past, Megan seemed to veer away from her. Then she looked at Olivia’s retreating back, it was not a pleasant look, there was a brief stab of anger passed across her face, then there was a look of pure hatred, then it was gone and she was smiling again. Oh well, this was New Orleans. Chapter 5 Their apartment was neat, not huge but kind of classy, just off the French Quarter. We had to park a couple of hundred yards away and as we walked to their home, I was hit by the sounds and smells of New Orleans. Jazz, spicy food and more jazz. Wonderful. The building was old, a walk up and they were on the third floor. We climbed the stairs and I walked through the front door into a world of wooden paneling, classy looking paintings on the wall and objects of art, sculptures and stuff like that scattered around. It was so cool, I wasn’t an expert but none of the artworks looked like copies or reproductions. They were all so old, rich with a sheen of age that I imagined would be difficult to fake. I sat on their sofa, almost sat in it, it was so soft, luxurious, and old. Even in here the faint sounds of jazz music percolated through the windows, so that you always knew where you were. They showed me to the spare bedroom and I took a shower and changed into my clothes, short black skirt, black t-shirt, a clean hoodie, the one I’d worn on the trip was creased to hell and Doc Martens. I had bought my own pantyhose, I hadn’t let Mom see them, the diamond pattern she would reckon was hooker-chic. Tough. For me, they were Claire chic. �śYou look nice,” Megan said when I went into the living room. �śYou sure do honey,” Dad chipped in. �śWhat would you like to do today, your first day in town?” �śI want to talk to you, Dad.” �śSure, honey, what about?” �śOh, nothing special. Let’s kick off with crazy Catholic priests. Then we can follow up with vampires, the Andros family and then move on to the island of Andros.” They looked at each other. Megan shrugged. �śShe isn’t a baby, Guy. She’s got a right to know everything. Well, almost everything.” Dad nodded. �śOk, first of all, Ben Ryan. He came to our town straight out of the seminary. He hated me from the start, told everyone I had �Śsomething of the night’ about me. So he made my life a misery, I guess, or at least, he tried to. He is not really a Catholic priest, that’s just a cover. For us he’s the enemy.” �śYou don’t say, I think I worked that one out. But tell me, is there?” �śIs there what?” �śSomething of the night about you?” He took a deep sigh. �śHmm, well, yes, I guess there is, yeah, that wouldn’t be a million miles from the truth.” �śAnd?” �śLook, we’ll go out tonight and I’ll explain more about that, about my early life. What’s the next question?” �śThe Andros family.” �śOh yeah, right. Well, they’re from Andros, the Greek island. Some of the family is Amstrydae, some Ardethan.” �śWhat the hell are Amstrydae and Ardethans, Dad?” �śEr, well they’re people that exhibit vampire-like tendencies.” �śSo Ethan Andros is a vampire, is that what you’re telling me?” �śEthan, eh? So that’s what this is about. I guess you could say that in some people’s eyes he has those tendencies. He is Amstrydae, of course, but not exactly a vampire, that’s a bit of a myth.” �śGuy!” Megan warned. He looked guilty. �śYeah, ok. Well, that’s not strictly true, but we don’t call them vampires as such.” �śSo what do you call them?” �śLike I said, we call ourselves Amstrydae and Ardethans, they’re very, very old names that cover pretty well what people nowadays might call vampires, although we’re nothing like the way they’re portrayed.” �śSo what’s the difference between the two, Ardethans and Amstrydae?” �śRight, well, I guess it’s that the Amstrydae are somewhat more powerful than we are, but other than that we’re broadly similar,” Dad said. �śAre you a vampire then?” I asked, staring at him directly. �śDon’t lie to me, Dad!” �śNo, no,” he said hurriedly. �śWell, maybe. Yeah, I guess in some sense of the word I am. I’m what you would be considered an Ardethan. Yeah, we have been described as vampires I guess. We live alongside the Amstrydae. It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship, they help us, and we help them, often our people intermingle, marry, stuff like that.” I turned to Megan. �śYou, too?” She nodded, "Yep, I’m an Ardethan through and through.” I was getting somewhere at last. So there were no vampires, although some people had characteristics of vampires and they were called the Amstrydae and the Ardethans. Which were vampires. Right, that was quite simple, it was what Dad said people meant when they talked about vampires.� �śWhat are the characteristics of these people then, I mean, you people?” �śOn the negative side some of us have photophobia, where we can react to strong sunlight, those of us that do have to wear thick, tinted glasses during the day.” �śRight, so what about the other side, the positive side, what are the benefits?” �śOh no, there are no specific powers that we have, we’re just different, well, there are one or two things.” �śLike you can’t die?” �śWell, no, that’s not entirely true. But we do have much longer lives, yes, hundreds of years in some cases, but there are ways that we can die, or be killed.” �śAnything else?” I persisted. I was obviously going to have to drag it out of them. �śWell, just a few things, night vision, some of us have extreme strength and speed, some of us can communicate on the subconscious level, like in dreams.” So it was Ethan in my dream, he was really there. �śSo apart from a few minor things, like being able to see in pitch black conditions, heightened sense of smell, living extra long lives, virtually impossible to die and powers of supernatural communication, there really aren’t any benefits to being one of these Amstrydae or whatever people?” �śNo, that about sums it up.” Jesus Christ, it was so amazing, and yet they seemed to matter of fact about it. �śDad, I have to know, do you drink blood?” �śBlood? Well, yes, we do I guess, but not the way people think. And if you mean do we attack people and take a bite out of their necks, that’s laughable.” �śAny other powers, that you haven’t told me about?” �śSome of us, especially Amstrydae, have other supernatural abilities. Look, you’ve learned enough for now, we’ll talk about it later and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” There was plenty I wanted to know, but for now he was right, I had opened the lid on this whole business and I needed time to absorb what they had told me. My Dad a vampire? Wow! The room had grown cold, really cold. It seemed strange, New Orleans was not such a cold place as a rule. They noticed it too. Dad went and looked out of the window and looked across the street. �śThat woman you were with on the bus with, did you know her?” �śNot before, no.” I told him about meeting her on the bus, her telling me she was researching for a book. �śShe’s across the street. With our old friend, Father Ryan.” � I felt too fed up to be frightened, fed up with these oddballs who just couldn’t get a life, they seemed to be determined to be professional nuisances. And they seemed to be attracted to me like twisted lumps of iron to a magnet. �śWhat do we do now?” �śWe do nothing,” Megan said. �śThey’re just bullies, they’ll only be satisfied if we notice them, they get off on frightening people. Ignore them and they’ll go away.” I saw Dad’s expression, he looked dubious, but there was little else to be done right now. I knew then that there was much more to this story than they had let on so far, much more.� �śDo you feel up to going out, shall we do the tour of the city?” Dad asked. I nodded. �śYeah, ok.” �śLet’s go then. Do you have a coat?” I shook my head. �śOk, I’ll buy you something, after all, I am your father.” Megan looked out of the window, the two watchers had disappeared and we were able to relax, at least a little, and I was able to enjoy doing the tourist bit. They bought me a black leather biker-style jacket that I wore over my hoodie. I checked it all out in the store mirror, it looked cool and cost my father a small fortune, it was a genuine designer jacket. I began to feel better, this was a good start to my visit. We checked out the old French Quarter and I was astonished to see the number of what they called jazz cafes. It looked like people here were born with a musical instrument in their hands, it was the main occupation of the city, or so it seemed. And of course there were the shops selling paranormal paraphernalia, black magic gadgetry, everything from a packet of spider’s cobwebs to a set of robes for a voodoo black magic high priestess. The place was alive with music and color, and Dad and Megan helped me do the complete tourist thing. But there was something else underlying the whole scene, something that made me feel uneasy. Megan took me to one side while Dad was checking out an antiques shop. �śSomething’s on your mind, Claire, I can feel it.” �śI don’t know, maybe there is something, maybe there isn’t. It’s just a feeling I can’t get rid of, maybe because I lost some sleep, the bus is not the best place to relax on.” �śYou’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep in our apartment,” she smiled. �śWe’re going out to a club tonight, if you’re ok with that.” �śWhat kind of a club?” �śIt’s special, kind of a surprise.” I had to be content with that, we shopped, we ate out and we listened to jazz. Back to the apartment for a shower and I put on a clean t-shirt and underwear, skirt and boots and my hoodie and new leather jacket. I was ready. We ambled through the Quarter, already it was starting to look like the New Orleans of the movies, color and noise mixed with an indefinably sinister undercurrent, slightly menacing but exciting too. The club we went into was more of a bar, with two tough looking dudes on the door making sure that only known and favored clients admitted. Inside it was very dim. Dad refused to let me have a glass of wine and I had to settle for soda. I looked around at the people sat nearby, there was something about them that I couldn’t put my finger on, something that I recognized, then I had it. They all shared similarities with Dad and Megan, same good looks. Dark hair, dark eyes and pale, but smooth, creamy skin. How weird, maybe there were more of these vampire-type people here. I’d have to ask them about it later. A band came on stage, not jazz this time for a change, they were more in the style of �ŚMy Chemical Romance’. I could see that not everyone in the room was impressed, but the music was good, very good, the band knew their stuff. A guy came up to our table and we all looked up at him. �śEr, I wondered if you’d like to dance,” he said to me. Three sets of eyes boring into him didn’t give him much encouragement. I looked at Dad and he nodded. �śGo ahead, honey.” We danced for a couple of songs and I began to relax. He told me his name was Hal, he seemed ok too, quite a nice guy. He reminded me of someone, it only took me a minute to work it out, but then it hit me. There was something about him that reminded me of Ethan Andros, of Dad and Megan too, the same pale, smooth skin, dark hair and eyes, classical features. He was tall, very slim and he had a kind of faraway look in his eyes. The band segued into a slow number and I slipped into his arms, I started to really relax then, it looked as if this trip was going to be better than what I normally experienced in my life. Boredom, hostility or both. This was neither, it was good to be with people who did not criticize or bully, just accepted me for what I was, whatever that was. I felt Hal’s lips brush my forehead, his arms held me just that little bit tighter, his hand crept around me a little more. But he stopped short of fondling my tits, which would have been going too far. Score one for Hal. I lost myself in the music, in fact, the song was a �ŚMy Chemical Romance’ number from an album I had at home. Maybe this trip was going to work out, I tried to imagine what it would be like living permanently in New Orleans. That was when the front window smashed in. In itself that wouldn’t have been a huge problem, except that what smashed through it was a gas bomb.� One moment we were enjoying the evening, I was dancing in Hal’s arms, Dad and Megan were sat at the table, sipping their drinks. Then the room descended into chaotic hell. Within seconds fire was licking at the furnishings, a curtain went up in flames and the whole room was in danger of being totally engulfed. The guy behind the bar pulled out a fire extinguisher and started to spray the flames and then Dad pulled me off the dance floor and started towards the door with Megan. The room was in uproar and he had to shout to make himself heard. � �śWe need to get out now, don’t stop for anything, just go!” He pushed us towards the door, we were choking and spluttering with smoke. My throat hurt, my eyes were streaming and I could hear the cries and screams of the people trying to escape from the club. We managed to get out onto the street and turned to look at the blaze. People were still streaming out, women crying, men shouting at them to get clear. In the distance, I could hear the sirens of the emergency services as they got nearer, the strident sounds at odds with the gentle sway of the jazz that drenched the city centre in soulful rhythm. Then I saw them disappearing around the corner, Father Ryan and Olivia Constable. Had they thrown the Molotov cocktail, the gas bomb that had torched the club? I doubted there would be any evidence, but it seemed a no-brainer to me.� �śWe’d better get home fast,” Dad said. �śThere’s no way of knowing where the next attack will come from. Besides, we all stink of smoke and gas, let’s get going. I guess we’ve got some thinking to do, this is not a problem we’ve experienced before, they’ve obviously escalated their attacks.” The thought occurred to me that they had clearly experienced some kind of problem before, but what was that about attacks? And why? We walked back to my Dad and Megan’s place. The crowds were surging towards the fire, so we found the streets half empty. As we walked, I told Dad about seeing Ryan and Constable near the club. �śYeah, it wouldn’t surprise me, Ben Ryan, he’s a total fanatic, capable of anything. He seems to want to start a war.” I didn’t say anything else, I felt cold and pretty fed up. I mean, more than usual, I’d been enjoying the night out in the French Quarter, Dad and Megan were great and Hal had been good to be with, just a normal boy, at least it seemed he was. When we got back, I asked Dad why they would have attacked the club. Before he could answer, Megan spoke to me. �śObviously because it’s a place where the Amstrydae and Ardethans meet, I expect you’d guessed that.” I nodded. �śYeah, something like that.” �śIf he’d thrown the gas bomb later when the club was really packed with people it could have been a massacre, at least to the some of us, especially the Ardethans.” �śWhat do you mean, especially the Ardethans? That’s you two, right?” �śYes, with the�Ś” Dad gave her a meaningful look but she shook him off. �śNo, Guy, she’s got a right to know.” He shrugged. �śOk, if you think so.” �śI do.” Megan said firmly. �śRight, well, we are Ardethans, as you know. We are not as powerful as the Amstrydae, we could be killed by fire, or at least severely injured. Amstrydae would be better protected.” �śBut I’m not either of these, Ardethans or Amstrydae or whatever, am I?” I protested. Dad looked at me guiltily. �śEr, that’s not strictly true, honey. You have my blood running in your veins, I’m afraid that makes you one of us. One of my ancestors was Amstrydae and I think that’s what you are. Yes, you are almost certainly Amstrydae.” I shook my head in disbelief. �śThis is just crazy, Dad. I mean, how in hell would these people recognize if someone was one of these weird Amstrydae thingies or whatever?” �śThey can smell you, that’s the first way they can tell. Then there are other ways too, I’ll explain it all later.” They could smell me. I remembered that time in the woods when Ethan had found me in the pitch-black darkness. He’d said that he could smell me. But of course, Ethan Andros was a vampire too wasn’t he, an Amstrydae?” I went to the window and looked out, not so much to see if Father Loony and his assistant were running around outside. But because I needed time to think. I was still looking and thinking when there was the sound of the door buzzer. Megan went to the entry phone. �śYes?” �śIt’s Ulysses.” She buzzed him in, he walked up and Megan opened the apartment door. So he was the owner of the club, now burnt out. He was a strongly built man, well muscled and very good looking, like all of these people seemed to be. The disaster of the fire didn’t seem to have affected him one little bit. He had the usual black hair, beautifully styled and combed, dark, soulful eyes and pale, smooth skin. No, he wasn’t just very good looking, he was like an older, much bigger, more powerful version of Ethan, he was beautiful. He looked at me.� �śSo you are Guy’s daughter, Claire?” I nodded. �śYeah, that’s me. Sorry about your club, that was terrible. Do the police know who might have done it?” �śNo, no, they don’t.” I told him about Father Ryan and his assistant. �śYes, we know about those two,” he said. �śWhy not tell the police about them?” He smiled. �śIt’s more complicated than that.” �śOk, look, if you want to talk to Dad and Megan, I’ll make myself scarce, but they have told me all about this vampire stuff.” �śI see, that’s fine. Anyway, this concerns you too.” That took me by surprise. How the hell could it concern me?� He sat down and we listened as he explained about the night’s events. �śWe’ve been trailing Ryan and the girl for some time, we didn’t expect him to do something like that. Otherwise we would have taken steps to prevent it.” �śHe should be removed from this earth,” said Megan passionately. �śHe’s vermin, he pollutes everything he comes into contact with.” I was shocked. Kill him? �śHey, hang on there, you can’t go around saying things like that about a Catholic priest.” Dad smiled. �śMaybe not, but he’s not a real priest, honey.” �śOf course he is, he even says mass in the local Catholic Church.” Everyone knew Father Ryan, no way was he a total impostor. They looked at me sympathetically. �śHe’s a Medusan, honey,” Dad said. �śThe cover of him being a priest is useful to them, it gives them a lot of credibility. Oh, he’s an ordained priest, of course, that part is true. But it’s just a cover.” Now I was really lost. �śA Medusan?” �śYes. Look, you’ll have to know sooner or later. Our line can be traced back to the oldest of Greek history, what people call Greek myths these days. We are directly descended from Perseus, who is thought of as one of the Greek Gods.” �śSo does that make me a Goddess?” I asked him, I guess a bit tongue in cheek. I saw Ulysses stir when I asked that. Ok, you can laugh, buster, I guess with your place burnt out you were entitled to more than a few laughs. �śNot funny, Claire, no, of course you are not a Goddess. But Perseus was real, the God bit was the myth. We were part of a powerful Greek tribe who dabbled in sorcery, herbalism, primitive formulas, I guess you’d call it witchcraft nowadays.” �śSo I’m a witch then?” �śNo. In Greek myth, Perseus cut off the head of the Goddess Medusa, well, that part is true, except that she wasn’t a Goddess. It started a battle that has gone on for thousands of years they called themselves the Medusans to honor Medusa, fighting us, the Amstrydae and the Ardethans. Early on, we learned the power of lengthening our lives through drinking blood and taking certain herbs and undergoing magic rituals. We developed other important powers afterwards, we had to in order to survive the Medusan onslaught. The Medusans initially wanted revenge, there were many more of them and for a long time it looked as if they would beat us, wipe us out completely. They spread the rumors of us being vampires, sucking the blood out of people, turning them into zombie-like slaves and other stories like that. It’s not true. They are truly evil, all we want is to live in peace. When the Medusans found out the secrets we had discovered, they made greater efforts to destroy us to steal our power. � And so the battle goes on, each side is too powerful to be destroyed but not powerful enough to wipe out the other side.” �śYou’re serious about all this, aren’t you?” They all nodded. �śYes, Claire, everything you are being told is true,” Megan said softly. If it wasn’t for the firebomb it would all have sounded like total bullshit to me. In many ways it still did. I guess I’d thought that for once these people didn’t have some alternative agenda, that Dad just wanted me here because I was his daughter. That Megan was just being friendly, even Ulysses, although I had only just met him. But as usual, Claire Winter was the fall guy for one of their crazy schemes. I felt my anger rising, this was some kind of New Orleans voodoo crap, or something like that. � �śWell, look, I hear what you say, but the answer is no, I don’t want to be one of these Ardethans or Amstrydae or Medusans, I just want to go home. Tomorrow, Dad, I want you to get me a ticket so I can get back.” He inclined his head. �śIf that’s what you want, honey, then that’s what we’ll do. You can go home tomorrow.” �śNo, she can’t,” Ulysses said. �śExcuse me?” I asked him. �śAnd it’s your business since when?” �śSince I found out what the Medusans are really after. It’s you.” Dad went pale. �śTell me about this, what did you find out?” �śShe’s The Carrier, Guy.” The room went quiet. They all looked at me as if I had ten pounds of radioactive isotopes hidden in my underwear. �śAre you absolutely certain?” Dad asked him quietly. He nodded emphatically. �śOk, what’s all this Carrier stuff? Someone tell me, you’re worrying me now!” �śI’ll tell you everything, Claire, is that ok, Guy?” Ulysses said.� Dad nodded. �śGo ahead, she has to know.” �śWhen our people found out the old truths like immortality, or at least, a very, very long life, as well as some of the other powers like the ability to see in the pitch dark, the Medusans discovered that we were becoming too strong for them to defeat. For some reason, they are unable to do many of the things we can, it’s in their genetic make-up. Then they found out that very ,very rarely, perhaps only once in every thousand years, a female Ardethan or Amstrydae would be born with the ability to mate with a Medusan to produce Medusan offspring that would be able possess the kinds of powers we have, to combine them with their own existing powers. These offspring would be the first of a new breed of Medusans with a unique property. For the first time, they would have the ability to destroy us and become the most powerful creatures on earth, with the means to enslave the whole of the human race. That female is known as The Carrier. They believe it is you, Claire. For some reason your powers are late in developing and they have only recently discovered it, but now they want you and will do anything to get you.” I sat there silently, my mind reeling.� �śSo I can’t just go home, is that what you’re saying?” Dad came and sat next to me. �śIf you do, honey, they’ll take you. You will become nothing more than a breeding machine for their new line of Medusans. Then when they’ve finished with you, well, you can imagine the rest.” �śDad, you’ll have to talk to Mom, she’ll go crazy, she’ll never believe any of this.” �śOf course, honey. She knows a lot of the history of my family, it won’t be total gibberish to her.” �śSo she knows about the vampire thing?” He nodded. �śDoes she know about the connection with the Andros family?” He nodded again. So that explained a lot. I guess I could not blame Mom for trying to shield me from this weirdness. But maybe if she’d come clean about it before, I could have made my own decisions about the way I lived my life. I was truly fed up, Claire Winter, everybody’s pawn.� They talked to me about strange people and strange lands while I sat there, feeling even more isolated and alone that even before and not really absorbing any of it. I mean, it was my life, everyone always seemed to be inflicting their own views on me, so that I was never just left alone. Maybe I should tell these people I was gay, that way they might think again. Maybe not. While they were preoccupied with making plans, I wandered back to the window and looked out onto the teeming streets of New Orleans. I felt a nasty pain knife through my stomach, I got up to walk around and relieve it. When I looked out of the window, Father Ryan was there with Olivia Constable. They no longer looked like a pious priest and a prim academic. The air of respectability had fallen from them, there was now an aura of evil that seemed to surround them. Or was it my imagination, Christ, they were all getting to me. �śThey’re out there, you know,” I said to Dad and the others. They all nodded. �śWe know,” Megan said. �śDon’t worry, we can feel them, it’s a very uncomfortable feeling, almost like feeling sick.” �śI felt it too,” I told them. Megan smiled. �śThat’s normal, Claire. Your senses are developing, it’s the Amstrydae strain starting to predominate, a legacy from my ancestors, well, your ancestors too.” I wished they could have kept their legacy to themselves, right there and then I could have done without it. They talked on late into the night. Their main preoccupation was finding somewhere safe for me to hide. It all sounded ok in theory, until I thought their schemes through. �śSo, you are telling me that I would have to hide away from these people for the rest of my life?” Ulysses looked up at me. �śI’m sorry, Claire, but yes, you’d have to hide until you were past childbearing age at least, another thirty, maybe forty years.” I was thinking about Ethan, would that mean I would never see him again? I realized that Dad was talking to me. �śWe think that Canada would be a good place, there are a great number of remote forests where we could use our natural powers to keep you safe. It is a beautiful country, Claire, the scenery is magnificent and we could live by the side of a lake, we have a large timber house there with all of the modern luxuries, satellite television, computers and the internet through a satellite system. I would be there with you, Megan too. We could even have the odd trip into the nearby town, provided we were careful. It could be a wonderful life. The neighbors are great, you’d get on well with them, they are all Native Canadians, lovely people.” �śYes, think about it,” Megan said enthusiastically. �śYou and I would be like sisters, you’d never feel lonely. Shelves full of books, why, we’d always have something new and interesting to look at.” I got up and looked out of the window again. The feeling in my stomach had changed, I thought that maybe the watchers might have left. They were still there, though, looking very agitated, even panic stricken. Father Ryan was right underneath a street lamp and I could see his strange eyes reflected in its light, they were wide and panicky. Olivia ran to the corner, looked along the street and then ran back to speak to the priest. Then she ran all the way to the opposite end of the street and peered around the corner, than came back to the priest. What on earth had spooked them? Yes, of course, I saw it now. Then I made my decision. �śLook, I’m not going to Canada. If you think I’m going to live my life hiding away like a fugitive, you’re wrong.” Dad was horrified. �śClaire, what are you planning to do?” �śI’m going to fight them, Dad and with your help and the rest of your people, we should be able to come up with a plan to beat them.” �śYou can’t just make a decision like that on your own, Claire, what you suggest could lead to disaster for all of us.” �śI’m not going to take that decision entirely on my own, I’m going to get advice first.” �śAdvice? From whom?” Then the door buzzer sounded. �śFrom Ethan. That will be him now at the door, the watchers saw him coming or maybe they sensed him, but they disappeared in a panic. He’ll know what to do.” They were still open mouthed when Megan opened the apartment door and Ethan stood there. My Ethan. We smiled at each other, then I flew into his arms. After we had disentangled ourselves from each other, he sat down and started to explain. �śAfter the earthquake we had a lot to do, digging out our people and helping lots of the islanders who were hurt during the disaster. Despite what they said, there were a large number of survivors, they were trapped under the rock falls. We only got word two days ago about Claire, our people had been keeping a permanent watch on the Medusans for a sign that they might have found The Carrier. When I heard that they had found her and that it was Claire, I came straight back. We need to decide on a course of action to stop the enemy from getting to her.” �śI was just suggesting to Claire that we could live in Canada, somewhere remote where we could use our powers to stay hidden from them,” Dad said. �śWhat do you think?” Ethan asked me. �śIt sounds pretty extreme, but it could be the safest course of action.” I shook my head. �śI can’t do it, Ethan, bury myself in the middle of a forest for the rest of my life, or most of it? I’m sorry, but no. I want to fight them.” �śFight them?” he grinned, his dark eyes sparkled with amusement. �śYou’ve only just found out about all of this centuries old battle between the Medusans and the Amstrydae and yet already you want to fight them? How would you go about it?” I thought for a moment. �śCan they be killed?” Ulysses smiled grimly. �śKill a Medusan? They’re tough, really tough, killing them is very difficult.” �śOk, then there’s another way to deal with this.” They waited patiently for me to explain. �śYou see, we need to take away their powers, pull their teeth, so to speak, so that they’re not a danger to the Amstrydae ever again.” They were deathly quiet for long moments, thinking about what I had said.� �śIt’s a thought,” Dad said, �śif it could be done.” �śEthan, you need to contact your people and find out if it’s possible.” I don’t know why but I thought he would do something dramatic, like travel thousands of miles to Europe and speak to a meeting of the Amstrydae in the dead of night at some remote mountain location. Instead, he pulled out his cell and simply said, �śI’ll call from the bedroom, I won’t be long.” I couldn’t help it, I giggled and they all looked at me sharply. He disappeared through a doorway into the bedroom and we sat silently, waiting. It occurred to me that I knew so little about these strange people, who it seemed I was destined to be bound up with for the rest of my life. I got up and looked out of the window again, but there were no watchers to be seen. I wondered how far their powers extended, how it would be possible to stop them. They say that knowledge is power and right there and then I felt almost powerless. �śClaire, I imagine you’ve got a lot more questions about our enemies,” Ulysses said. �śHow on earth did you know that I was about to ask them, are you a mind reader as well?” He smiled. Like the rest of his people, his eyes sparkled when he spoke, it wasn’t the smoldering, burning glow of Father Ryan, but more like beautiful beams of light that seemed to merge and shine like the rays of a tiny sun. I wasn’t too happy becoming dragged into this titanic struggle, but when I felt those eyes on me I sensed something noble and good. �śNo, we are not mind readers, I could just see your expression. You looked as if you were puzzling something out. But you have hit on something there, you see, the Medusans can read minds, some of them at least. We have never known how many. But going back to what I was saying, if I was in your position, I’d want to know more about who I was involved with.” I nodded. �śYes, exactly, will you tell me? What about these Medusans?” �śWell, they developed the ability to read minds, that’s their main advantage. They are also very strong, as a rule, each of them possesses more strength than most of us Ardethans, although most of the Amstrydae are stronger. They are also evil, ruthlessly evil, human life is not precious to them at all. But it’s not so much the powers they have, as the ones they lack. Their genetic makeup prevents them from benefitting from our strengths, which is why they need The Carrier. Some even believe they would be able to extract cells from the newborn infants to inject into their bodies to transform them, but as they have never had access to a Carrier, they do not know for sure.” �śBut there have been Carriers before, I’m not the first one? What happened with the others?” His face went cold, the light almost faded entirely from his eyes. They were like dark, fathomless pools. �śIt is true, there have been several, the last was only one hundred and seventy years ago.” I waited for more, but he was silent. �śUlysses, what happened to her?” �śShe died,” was all he said. But I knew there was more. �śTell me the truth, what happened to her?” �śI told you, she died,” he snapped. Then his head slumped. �śShe was my daughter. I killed her rather than let her fall into their hands.” Chapter 6 We sat there in silence while I watched him suffer his grief, as he must have suffered it so many times in the past. It struck me then that the answer to their problems would be simple. If they killed me, the threat would be over. Ulysses again seemed to read my mind. �śNo, don’t think that you are in any danger. At the time, I had no choice. We were not as organized as we are now, our communications were poor, and I found myself in a situation with my daughter where we were surrounded. She knew too what she was facing if they took her, just before they finally closed in she begged me to kill her. I used my pistol and shot her between the eyes. I will never forget her look, her final look just before I pulled the trigger. When they reached us, they were enraged to find her dead. They tried to kill me, but I survived and the Amstrydae reached me and treated me until I regained my health.” It was a terrible story, I felt so sorry for him, holding in all of that grief for such a vast amount of time.� Then Ethan returned from the room where he had been making the call. �śIt’s good news and bad news,” he said. �śThe good news is that it can be done, the bad news is that the method of doing it is almost impossible to set up and even then, potentially fatal to those of us that implement it.” He explained what he meant. The Amstrydae considered before how they could remove the powers of the Medusans, so as to completely remove their threat. They had concluded that it was impossible, they did not possess any technology that would achieve that end. However, there was another way, we now lived in the nuclear age. The ranks of the Medusans numbered just about twelve hundred, concentrated in Europe and the USA. The Amstrydae and their Ardethan allies were slightly less, about nine hundred and fifty. If they could lure the Medusans to a place where they had a radioactive source, it should theoretically be possible to irradiate them, to expose them to sufficient radiation not to kill them but to sterilize them. If they were then unable to breed, The Carrier would be of no use to them. Ultimately, they would die out altogether, a terrible fate but one that their constant attacks on the Amstrydae had brought about. �śSo how will you manage to get them all into one place at a single time?” I asked. He looked at me. �śWe have discussed that, yes, but it’s not a solution that I like.” The others were staring at me too, what was on their minds? Then it struck me, they’d worked it out, their look was one of pity, the kind of look that would be given to a victim.� �śYou want me to be the bait, don’t you?” �śI’m sorry, honey,” Dad said hurriedly. �śThey’ve talked about this and they can’t find any other way to bring them all to one place at one time. There just doesn’t seem to be anything else that would bring them together. If you agree, we will contact them for a meeting to resolve our differences. As far as they are concerned you will be there as the solution on offer to them, provided we can agree on all of the other things, most importantly an end to the hostilities. But yes, you’ll be the main prize, to be handed over to them if we get agreement. At least, that’s what they’ll think.” I was chilled to the bone, how he could even suggest that I might be handed over as a breeding cow. He saw the horror in my face. �śClaire, don’t even think that we’d ever hand you over to them, you’ll be heavily guarded, they won’t even get near you. You will only be there to get them to come.” Megan came and sat next to me, doing her big sis act. �śYou don’t have to agree. If you say no, they will have to find some other way of dealing with them.” �śWhat would you do if it was you they were asking to risk everything?” I could see her thinking about that. But it didn’t take her long. �śI guess I’d do it, Claire. But that would be my personal decision, I’ve always known how bad they’ve been over the centuries, the trouble they’ve caused our people. I would want to put a stop to it, but it’s my life and it’s all I’ve ever known. It is different for you, it’s all new and very confusing. Maybe you need more time to think about it.” I looked across at Ethan but he wasn’t looking at me, his gaze seemed to be somewhere else, somewhere in the infinity of his personal universe. I wished he was sitting beside me, to advise me and put his strong arm around me. Inside, I was saying �ŚEthan, tell me what to do, I need your cool, calm strength’. Outside, I must have looked like the lost schoolgirl I was. Then my mind cleared, I could hear Ethan’s voice in my head. �ŚI will be with you every step of the way, we would face this side by side’.� He still hadn’t looked at me, but I realized that his gift of super communication had enabled him to talk to me, to reassure me. He got up and walked over to the window. �śThere are more of them out there now, they are starting to gather. I got up and looked outside, Ryan and Olivia Constable had come back, but now they formed part of a group of about ten people. Medusans. As I watched, another two approached the group and joined them. It was enough. �śI’ll do it. There isn’t much alternative, is there? If I don’t help you solve this battle with the Medusans, I will spend my life looking over my shoulder waiting to be kidnapped. That would be sheer hell. I’d sooner get it over with, or fall down trying.” The group relaxed, visibly. Ethan looked across and nodded. Yes, his communication had been for me alone and he intended to stand by me, come what may. �śYou are very brave, Claire,” Ulysses said. �śLet’s hope we can finish this once and for all. You are right, of course, the last thing you’d want is to live every day not knowing when and where the blow was going to fall.” I wondered which school he’d gone to, obviously not mine. Claire Winter, everybody’s punch bag. Roll up and take a swing at me, get in the queue. �śThe next question is where do we meet?” Dad said. �śWe need somewhere remote, where there is a large enough facility to hold over a thousand people as well as some kind of underground space to hide the radioactive isotopes.” �śAndros,” Ulysses said immediately. �śIt would be perfect. Since the earthquake, the island is almost deserted. We have the outdoor amphitheater there and you all know about the network of caverns and tunnels that run underneath the whole of the island.” I must have looked mystified, he turned to explain it to me. �śSecurity, we had to have places to hide once the Medusans started the rumors of us being bloodsucking vampires. People came to hunt us down, some of our people were staked out in the sunshine and stakes driven through their hearts to kill them. So we started to build the tunnels, everywhere we have a community we have underground tunnels and hiding places where we can retreat to in an emergency. Some of them used to be dug in graveyards, which is where the old myths about vampires spending the days in coffins began.” The others were nodding. �śAndros sounds perfect,” Dad said.� �śI agree with Guy and Ulysses,” Megan added. �śIf the Medusans are gathering here, though, we ought to think about getting Claire away before they mount a direct assault on us.” �śWe could get her out through the tunnels,” Ethan said. �śWe ought to leave immediately.” They all stood to leave. I looked from face to face. This was all so strange, and worrying. The word �Śtunnel’ left me feeling uneasy. I wasn’t nervous about the dark, but the idea of being entombed in some close, claustrophobic tunnel brought me out in a panicky sweat. I tried to push it to the back of my mind. �śWhat tunnels?” I asked.� Ethan smiled. �śThis is New Orleans, the whole place is riddled with secret tunnels, at least where the ground wasn’t too wet for them to be dug. They date from the old bootlegging days and before then it was for black magic practitioners and smugglers. You name it, anyone that needed to do something in secret dug a tunnel. We discovered some that were useful to us and we have improved them for use in an emergency. Which this is, here and now, an emergency. I suggest we get moving.” I allowed myself to be propelled out of the apartment. Instead of taking the main stairs, Dad led us to a small staircase at the back that was once probably used by domestic staff, in the days when this was one large house for some wealthy New Orleans family. The others followed behind, we didn’t stop at the first floor but pushed on down into the basement. Up above I heard a crash, like woodwork smashing.� �śWe need to hurry,” Ulysses called along to us. �śThey’ve reached the apartment, when they find we are not there they’ll come looking.” We hustled across the basement and into through a door marked �ŚJanitor’ and into a storeroom. They shut the door behind us, then Dad opened the door of a locker screwed to the wall. He fiddled inside and then pulled, the whole locker swung outwards to reveal a dark opening.� �śThis is it, let’s go. Ulysses, make sure you close and fasten the locker when you’re in.” I followed Dad into the black entrance, I could feel Megan behind me, smell her perfume. There were no lights in the tunnel and I remembered that these people didn’t need lights to see in the dark. But I did, I was about to remind Dad when Megan took my arm.� �śI’ll guide you forward, don’t worry, I won’t let you bump into anything.” She was as good as her words, steering me through the dark, damp tunnels. Water dripped constantly from the roof and the walls were soaking wet when I touched them. At least there was no sound of anyone following us, evidently the Medusans hadn’t yet found the entrance to the tunnel system. I worked hard to force back my claustrophobia, I really hated being in the dark tunnels, although my father was in front and Megan’s hands were on my shoulders, showing me the way to go. Eventually we reached the bottom of an iron staircase.� �śThis is it,” my dad turned and said to me. �śWe can get out of here, I know you’ve never liked being in confined spaces. You’ve been really great, Claire, I’m proud of you.” I was astonished, how would he know about the terrors I used to suffer with that? I never realized that he took that much interest in me, not enough to know something that personal about me. Maybe he was not as bad as Mom often painted him. I mumbled something about it not being so terrible. We started up the staircase and emerged into another basement. It appeared to belong to an empty house, we climbed up yet more stairs and into a hallway. It was definitely an empty house, dark and dusty, empty of any furniture. We went out through the front door and into the New Orleans evening. It was warm, balmy, with the faint, spicy scent of the city and the sound of jazz in the distance.� � �śWhere are we headed now?” I asked Megan. �śWe’re going for the car, then the airport. We need to get you out of the city,” she said. That was fine by me, I had had enough of this place, so exotically attractive, yet so deadly in the dark of night. We hurried along then swung into a small courtyard where there was a row of garages. Ulysses unlocked one of them and went inside, there was the sound of an engine starting and a car nosed out of the garage. It was a black Cadillac Seville limousine with blacked out windows. They opened the doors and told me to get in. I hesitated for a moment, as if climbing into this car really would be saying goodbye to the life I had known before, for the unknown future, even if much of that life had been pretty crap. Yet what choice did I have? None, so I got into the car. The alternative was too awful to imagine. We drove to the airport and straight past the terminal to a small building near the maintenance hangars. There was a small aircraft parked on the tarmac, we stopped by it and they hustled me into the building and through to a small waiting room. I sat down and reflected that I was being shoved around like a UPS parcel. Story of my life, I guess. I must have looked a bit forlorn, Dad looked down at me with a rueful smile. �śIt’s not easy for you, is it, honey?” I shook my head. �śNo, Dad. I just want it all to be over.” �śAnd get back home and go to school, have some fun again?” Fun, are you serious? But I did think about that one for a short while. Back to school, where I was generally on everyone’s shit list? No, not really, but how could I explain how things were to Dad without sounding like a whiner? In the end I did what I’ve done for most of my life, I just fuzzed over the sharp edges. �śI guess so.” Ulysses was on the phone, something about travel arrangements. Megan was pulling cold sodas out of the icebox in the corner. Ethan was, well, just Ethan. He stood there, I could see he was a million miles away from here, what was he thinking about? He was not really a mind reader, I now knew that was the Medusans, but he must have sensed my attention on him. �śDon’t worry, Claire, I’ll be with you, every step of the way.” I gave him a smile. �śIn that case I won’t worry.” �śRight, I’m sorry about the way this is all happening so quickly. We’re flying directly to Greece, then on to Andros.” For a few moments my brain refused to accept what he’d said. Greece, so soon? That was, well, thousands of miles away, halfway across the world, wasn’t it? � �śBut, I’ve got school next week. I need to make all sorts of arrangements and let Mom know too.” He looked puzzled and I realized that I had just said something totally dumb. �śNo, that was just plain stupid, forget about all that. But I don’t have a passport, so I can’t leave the country.” �śThat’s not a problem, we’re flying out on a private jet, it’s waiting outside right now. Our people in Greece have organized a temporary visa for you.” Whoa, there, this was all going too fast. �śRight now, Ethan, are you sure?” �śYes, of course, what else can we do? It is the best move to make, it will get you out from under their noses. Why, what’s the problem?” No way was I going to tell some boy that I was frightened or worried, even if it was true. But he understood. �śIt’s a big step, I know, I wish you didn’t have to do it, but I don’t know what else to do, they are all over us here, they won’t be expecting us to move so fast.” �śYou’re coming too?” �śYes, I am. I’ll be there, don’t worry.” I wanted to snap that I was not worried, but we both knew it wasn’t true so I didn’t say it. Wait a minute, a private jet waiting outside, that was the one I’d seen, it didn’t look big enough to fly to across the USA let alone to Europe. �śEthan, you’re not serious, that thing outside is too small to take us to Europe. We need a proper plane, that’s a toy.” He didn’t answer me, we both looked as a guy came into the room wearing the usual pilot’s uniform, black trousers, white shirt with epaulettes and gold bands on them, Ray-Ban aviator shades tucked into the top pocket. He didn’t look much older than me. Oh, shit. �śWe’re all set to go, the aircraft is fueled up and ready when you are. Flight plan is filed for Greece, as soon as you get on board I will get clearance from the tower and we can go.” Oh, my God, I thought, it is really happening. As if in a dream I walked out of the building and across the concrete to where the aircraft was waiting. A sleek, small airplane was waiting for us, it said �ŚLearjet’ on the side. I followed Dad up the stairs and into the cabin. It was much smaller than a normal schedule airliner. �śAre you sure this is big enough to cross the Atlantic and fly all the way to Greece?” I asked him. It seemed even smaller on the inside than on the outside. �śSure it is, this is the Learjet Challenger. We’ll fly over to Portugal and land in Lisbon to refuel. Then it’s straight on to Greece.” �śOh, ok then.” As usual I had to just accept what other people threw at me. I just hoped that if they ran out of gas half way across they had some kind of inflatable life craft on board. I went and sat down, there were ten large, very luxurious seats, I felt like a movie star, at least if I was going to die in this thing I’d do it in style. The cabin attendant came and checked my safety belt, she was a pretty young woman, about five years older than me. She was dark haired, dark eyes, pale skin, a thought struck me. �śAre you, er, well, one of the�Ś?” �śAmstrydae?” she asked with a bright smile, her eyes were twinkling, she seemed pretty friendly. �śYes, that’s right.” �śRight. I’m not being rude, Ma’am, but I took you for about twenty years old or so, I guess you’re a bit older than that.” �śJust a little,” she said.� �śHow old are you?” �śWell, I once made coffee for General Robert E Lee.” �śRight. What about the pilot?” �śNo, he’s much younger than me.” �śI thought so.” �śYes, he learned to fly the year after Orville and Wright invented the airplane.” �śI shouldn’t have asked, I guess.” �śNo, that’s perfectly alright, any questions you have just to ask away.” I was suddenly reminded of an old film I’d seen once where they were especially nice to someone just before they were about to kill them. I tried to remember how the film ended. She continued down the small cabin, checking that the passengers were all comfortable. This was not a commercial flight with all of the usual noise and people shuffling for space. She closed the door, sat down and the aircraft engines started. We taxied out to the runway, then with a roar the engines went to full speed and the Learjet sped along the runway and lifted off. At least I was on my way to Greece, getting there might be another matter. Megan was sitting opposite me.� �śI imagine you’ve got a lot more questions,” she said. �śI know I would have, you’ve been thrown in right at the deep end.” �śTell me about these Medusan dudes,” I said to her. �śI mean, I’ve only met a couple of them, the Ryans, that researcher, Olivia, I guess. What are they like, what do I need to watch for?” �śMost of them come from the area of the Middle East, although a few look more European, like the Ryans. You’ve heard of the epic battles for Troy, thousands of years ago, almost before written records were around? Long before even any of the great religions of the world existed?” I nodded. �śYou mean like Helen of Troy, stuff like that?” �śExactly. King Priam and most of his nobles were Medusans, they always hated us Amstrydae.” �śI thought you were Ardethan.” She smiled. �śWe are, but the Ardethans are part of the Amstrydae, we just don’t have all of their special powers. But we’re one and the same.” �śWill I ever have special powers?” �śYou? Well, you are Amstrydae, you are The Carrier. Yes, you will be very powerful, Claire, when you’re older.” �śI don’t feel powerful right now.” She smiled. �śGive it time.” Yeah, I wasn’t sure how much time I had left. At least I’d learned to swim when I was younger. I felt like a piece of driftwood thrown around in a storm. As well as that, I was doubtful about the �Śbecoming powerful’ bit. Could it be that they had made a huge mistake? Anything was possible. A little part of me wanted there to be a mistake, to be able to go home, to Mom, back to school where all I had to put up with was boring classes and dumb kids who got off on bullying me. At least they didn’t usually try to kidnap and rape me, at least, so far. �śYou were telling me about these Medusans.” �śOh yes, as I said, they originated in the Middle East. We attacked Troy when they kidnapped our queen, they wanted to exchange her for knowledge of our innermost secrets. We had no choice but to lay siege, we could not give up either our queen or our secrets. Eventually the city was destroyed in the final battle. �śSo was she a Carrier?” �śNo, she wasn’t, but she had other powers and knowledge that they wanted.”� � � �śHow do I recognize a Medusan?” I continued. At last I was learning something about this strange world that I had been drawn into. �śI guess they’re kind of Arab in appearance, are they?” �śIt’s true that most of them are, yes, just like most of us are European in appearance, but some of our people have darker skin, some are even black. Some of the Medusans look European, so it is not easy. But as your powers develop, you’ll get a feel for it. The most obvious way is that you will smell them. Then there are their eyes, of course, have you noticed that they seem to smolder and burn with an evil intensity?” �śYes, I have.” I thought of Ben Ryan. Yes, he had the eyes. I shivered as I thought of their burning intensity.� When I looked out, we were flying over the Atlantic, out of sight of land. I had never been to Europe before and I wondered if I would ever see the USA again. �śYou must be exhausted after all that’s happened,” Megan said. �śWould you like to try and sleep, I could call the flight attendant and she’ll get you a pillow and a blanket and recline your seat.” �śThanks, that would be good.” She helped me get comfortable and soon I was dreaming about swarthy warriors chasing me along dark tunnels, hordes of soldiers attacking the walls of a massive city while I watched from the top of the highest tower. Then I saw Mom’s face and I sensed the warmth of my familiar old life, of being home with her, but then her face turned into the mad, staring expression of Father Ryan. He was shouting at me, trying to push me over a ledge into a steep drop down a mountainside, then Ethan came to me and held my hand.� �śClaire, it’s ok, you’re safe.” �śStay with me, Ethan.” �śI will, Claire, always.” I awoke refreshed and checked the time, I had been asleep for almost five hours. Dawn was starting to show itself in the sky. Obviously, we were still flying so we hadn’t run out of fuel. The flight attendant came along to me smiling, how could she look so good after a night without sleep? �śWould you like coffee, juice, some breakfast?” �śJust coffee would be good.” She brought the coffee and I sipped it. Dad came along and sat with me. �śWe’re nearly in Portugal, in fact,” he looked out of the window, �śwe are in Portugal, we just crossed the coast. We’ll be landing soon to refuel.” �śDo we get off the plane?” �śNo, Claire, we won’t be on the ground that long. Besides, your visa is waiting for us in Greece, we don’t want to have to answer any awkward questions here.” Soon, I heard the engines reduce power, the wheels went down and we touched down in Lisbon, capital of Portugal. Through the window, I saw a gas tanker arrive and two guys got out, connected a hose and started pumping fuel. One of the them looked up briefly, I could swear he looked straight at me, even through the thick window of the aircraft. His eyes, I wasn’t sure, but then the sun came out from behind a cloud, I could swear that they flashed brightly. I shuddered, was I seeing Medusans everywhere, kind of �Średs under the bed’? I was probably mistaken so I put it out of my mind. Shortly, the hoses were disconnected, the fuel tanker drove away, the engines started and we were once again on the way. I watched out of the window as we crossed the country of Portugal, then we were over Spain, out over the ocean again, this time we flew over the Mediterranean heading for Italy on the direct route to Greece. We flew over the huge island land mass of Sardinia, back over the ocean and then we sighted land again, it was the coast of Italy as expected. I felt a sense of dread, we were nearing our destination and whatever terrors it may hold for me. The engines slowed, the wheels locked down and we touched down on Greek soil, at Athens International airport. The marshaller directed the Learjet to a quiet spot almost a mile away from the main terminal. The engines died but nothing happened, nobody stirred. We waited for a few minutes, then I heard a thump and we started moving again towards the open hangar doors. When the tractor had towed us inside the doors slid shut and finally the cabin door was opened. Ulysses led the way and I followed down the steps and for the first time put my feet on Greek soil. There was a uniformed official standing at the foot of the steps with a document in his hand. As I got to him he put up a hand to stop me. �śClaire Winter, Miss Claire Winter from the United States of America?” �śYes, that’s me,” I replied. He made a note on the document and handed me a slip of paper. �śThis is your visa, welcome to Greece. You may proceed.” I was amazed, I’d just flown into the country on an aircraft from the United States, without a passport. If I’d been going the other way US Immigration would have me figured for a terrorist and Homeland Security would lock me up and throw away the key. They led me out of the hangar and we got into a Mercedes limousine with blackened windows. I thought that these people were not short of cash, they always seemed to have expensive wheels handy with blacked-out rear windows. We drove for two hours until I could see the sea and a harbor in front of us. The car stopped by a fishing boat and we got out. Ulysses called across to the guy standing on the boat, greeting him like a long lost friend. He called back and we were invited to go aboard. We walked down the gangplank, which was immediately pulled away. The boat’s engine started, the ropes were cast-off and we put to sea. After another three hours, I saw a smudge of land growing larger on the horizon. It was my first sight of Andros. There was a harbor in front of us and I assumed that we’d land there, but the boat turned away from it. �śWe’re landing somewhere more quiet and secure,” Ulysses explained, coming up to stand next to me. �śWhile we were in the air the offer to talk was made to the other side, they’re already gathering here, the meeting is all arranged.” I shivered. �śDo I need to actually be there?” �śYes, I’m afraid so. You are the big prize, The Carrier. Without you, they will suspect that something’s wrong and they may not turn up. But we will protect you, don’t worry.” Of course not, firebombed out of a nightclub, chased halfway across the world, pursued by weirdoes and dodgy priests, what was there to be worried about?� We rounded the island and the boat headed into a small cove. There was a narrow wooden dock that they tied the boat up to and I stepped ashore. We were on Andros. I began to see the signs of the earthquake, ruined houses, roads torn up, telephone poles lying at drunken angles, their cables trailing in the dust. We walked quickly along a narrow path and through an opening in the rock, Ulysses explained that we were now in the tunnel system that burrowed under the island. We seemed to walk for miles in the dark, once again Megan kind of steered me from the back. Several times I tripped on stones littered on the uneven rock pathway, each time, she grabbed me before I could fall. After about an hour the tunnel came to an end, there didn’t seem to be any way to go any further, I assumed they had taken a wrong turn. But Ulysses put his hand in a tiny hole in the rock and with a grating sound, a whole section of the wall slid aside to reveal an opening. We went through and the rock doorway slid back into place. Then the lights came on and I was able to see where we were. It was a huge room, with a high ceiling, that seemed to be almost twenty feet high. The room itself was about fifty feet long and maybe thirty feet wide, it looked like a meeting hall or even a church. I couldn’t see Mom’s Presbyterians holding any services down here though. Megan saw me looking open mouthed. �śIt used to be a temple of the cult of Mithras, dating to long before the birth of Jesus Christ and the start of Christianity. The altar at the end,” she pointed to a large, stone table at the opposite end of the room, �śused to be used for sacrificing bulls to their God, Mithras.” �śYeah, ok,” I replied. �śThey don’t still use it, do they?” �śWhy, are you a vegetarian?” a voice said. Ethan had come up behind me. �śWhat? No, I’m not, but it’s just that�Ś”� I saw his smile. �śYou’re yanking my chain, aren’t you?” �śYes, of course I am, I’m sorry. They haven’t done any sacrifices for hundreds of years, in fact, as far as I know there are no Mithrans anymore.” �śThank Christ for that,” I said, meaning it. �śYes, we do have Christ to thank for that, lots of Mithrans left the cult and became Christians.” I thought that it was easier on the poor bulls since Jesus converted them. It was also a good argument for becoming vegetarian, should I consider that, I thought? Save the planet, live on nuts and vegetables! Yuck. Dad and Megan came over to me. �śClaire, shall we show you to your room? They’ve put aside a bedroom for you to use while you’re here, you might like a shower and freshen up.” �śThanks, yeah, I’d like that.” I felt really important, a room reserved just for me? Wow! Megan took me to the end of the big room and through a doorway into a short passage, one of the doors off it was to my room. I went in and she left me to check it out. It was quite small, with a tiny bathroom at one side. I had a single bed and a closet, a pity I didn’t have any clothes to put in it. I opened it and there was a long, flowing dress inside, it looked about my size, I imagined it was for me to wear. There were also sandals and a pile of new underwear. They seemed to have prepared everything for me. There was a knock on the door and Megan came back with a jug of iced water and a glass. She saw me looking in the closet. �śIt’s for you to wear, Claire, I expect you’ll be more comfortable if you change after your shower.” I thanked her, she put down the jug and glass and left. Then I spent a good half hour in the shower, letting the hot water steam all of the worries and woes out of my body. That was one hell of a trip, it must have been half way across the word, aircraft, cars, boats, tunnels. Unbelievable! I dried off and put on the new clothing, it did feel good. I looked in the full-length mirror on the closet door, the swirling ethnic dress was cut more like a ceremonial robe, I felt it made me look like some ancient priestess. All I needed was my hair to be put up and decorated with jewelry to complete the effect. But deep down I still wished I was at home in my narrow jeans, black t-shirt and Converse, listening to some decent music. Then I went back out into the main room. They were all seated on folding chairs in a circle at one end of the room. Dad looked up. �śYou look wonderful, honey, the dress looks good.” �śAs long as you don’t sacrifice me I don’t mind,” I said. He didn’t smile and it occurred to me that what they were doing came very close to exactly that. They invited me to sit on one of the chairs and I joined them. �śWe’re all set for tomorrow,” Ulysses said. �śThe meeting is set for midday, all of the signs suggest that most of the Medusans will be present, though not every single one of them. We won’t get them all, but if we can deal with the vast majority of them that should be enough. We can deal with the others later.” �śWhat do you need me to do?” �śNothing. You just need to sit there, say nothing, do nothing.” So it was to be just like it was back at school. But I didn’t say anything to them. �śYou’re the prize they are negotiating for and they will just want to see you. We’ll do the rest.” �śHave you managed to get the radioactive stuff into position, you haven’t had much time?” I asked him. �śNot yet, but it’s due to arrive in the night. We will be ready for them.” Well ok, that would be fine then, but I wished he had sounded a bit more confident. We spent the evening sitting around, talking, at one stage Megan took me on an exploration of the surrounding tunnels and I saw the secret caves and pathways of the Amstrydae, exactly as they had been for hundreds and thousands of years. We went back to the meeting room and they told me more of the tales and lore of the people that I was destined to become fully a part of. Megan sat on one side of me, Ethan on the other. I wished he could put his arm around me or hold my hand, but I guessed he may have been embarrassed with all of those people there. I wouldn’t have been, though. I had a question that I was burning to ask them, had been on my mind, since they had first started telling me about their organization. �śMegan, will I live for a long time? I mean, longer than normal?” She nodded at Ethan. �śI think you’d better answer that.” He looked into my eyes, his own eyes were bright, shining like jewels, but not hard, theirs was a liquid warmth. �śYes, Claire. You will live for many hundreds of years, or at least we believe you will. Carriers are very, very rare. You know what happened to the last one, before she achieved her full powers?” I nodded. �śHad she been older, she could not have been killed, which would have been unfortunate. The Medusans would have bred their super-beings, hunted us down like dogs and killed us. But now, we’ve got a chance to pull their teeth and prevent the threat to us, so that you will be able to enjoy a very long and happy life.” I loved just sitting and listening to the musical sound of his voice. To look at him as he spoke, his face animated, his eyes sparkling, his rich, long dark hair, occasionally he would flick a strand hair out of his eyes. I could have sat there forever, but I saw Megan and Dad standing over me. �śHoney, it’s late, you’ve got a big day tomorrow, don’t you think you should get some sleep?” �śBut Dad, I’m ok,” I protested. �śYour father’s right,” Ethan said. �śGet some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams.” It was the way he said it. The meaningful look he gave me. My hopes surged, was he going to visit me in my dreams, just like before? I still felt like a little kid being sent off to bed, so the grown-ups could talk, but I didn’t argue, I was thinking that he’d visit me tonight. �śOk, then. Goodnight, everyone.” They all wished me goodnight and I went to my room. They’d thought of everything, there was a nightgown for me and I shrugged into it and got into bed. Two hours later, the Medusans had me. Chapter 7 � � � � It was almost too easy. How they got into the tunnel complex I had no idea, but one moment I was laying in bed, fast asleep, the next I had been bundled into blankets like a heap of laundry and carried swiftly along a tunnel by two men, Medusans. � In the distance, I could hear shouts and screams the complex was under attack. They were using lanterns and I could see the tunnel sides as we rushed along, there was a body lying on the ground, then another, how on earth had they managed to find this place and get in, and how had they managed to kill the Amstrydae? If they were dead, of course, I wasn’t sure, maybe they’d knocked them out in some way. Then we were on the surface and my captors threw me into the trunk of a vehicle, still tightly wrapped in the blankets. My claustrophobia surged inside my mind. It was utterly terrifying. The vehicle started, we were in some kind of a four-wheel drive I thought, like a civilian version of an army jeep, and we bumped and bounced along the island. I was thrown from one side of the trunk to the other, my head kept banging against the metal until I found a way to wedge myself. Finally, we came to a stop, the lid opened and a guy lifted me out and dumped me on the ground. �śCareful with her, she’s valuable,” a voice said, a voice I recognized and knew well. The mad priest, Father Ryan, except that now I knew that he wasn’t a priest. He was the enemy. They pulled me out of the mass of blankets that enswathed me and I stood up. I was staring into the mad, fanatic eyes of Father Ben Ryan, who I now knew was a Medusan. Next to him was Olivia Constable, smiling contemptuously. Two men stood, one either side of them, both looked like Arabs. I remembered what Megan had told me, that most of them were from the Middle East. They looked to me like a pair of Arab terrorists, which I guess wasn’t far wide of the truth. We were outside the wreckage of a large building. �śTake her inside,” Ryan snapped at them. The two Medusans pushed me inside, from the look of the place, it had once been the local town hall, but now it was missing half of the roof and one of the side walls. The rest of it looked to be relatively undamaged. They took me through the building and into an annex at the side, without doubt the local police station. I was pushed roughly into a cell, the door banged shut and the key rattled in the lock. Then they went away and I was left alone. There was a steel bed set against one wall with a thin, shabby mattress. I lay down on it and waited, trying to marshal my thoughts into some kind of a plan. I needed to deal with these people and I had only one thing to bargain with. Myself, my femininity, my sex. How could I use it to somehow escape, or was that some stupid silly idea that wasn’t going to happen in the real world, just some schoolgirl fantasy. The trouble was, I wasn’t in school now, from this perspective the old place didn’t seem quite so bad. What had happened to the others, Dad, Megan, Ethan, Ulysses and the other Amstrydae? Had they killed them all? I shuddered at the thought, the idea that the people I loved, Dad who I had just found again, could be dead. And Ethan. But no, they couldn’t be killed. Please, come to me in my dreams once more, Ethan. Tell me what I must do. The key rattled in the lock and the door swung open. Ryan stood there, lean, fanatic, eyes burning with passionate hate, with determination and what else was that? Oh God, no, not lust, not him. I felt physically sick. He smiled. �śI can tell you’re not impressed by what is in store for you.” How the hell did he know what I was thinking? Then I remembered, of course, these people could read minds, I’d have to be careful. I said nothing. He had a bundle under his arm and he threw it on the floor.� �śYou are to wear these clothes, put them on now.” I realized that I was still wearing only my nightgown. But I was damned if I was going to do what he told me. �śGet out of here, you sick pervert. I’m not wearing your clothes, I want my own stuff.” His eyes blazed even more fiercely. �śEither you put them on or I’ll strip you myself and dress you.” For a few moments we stared at each other, but this was no stalemate, I knew I had little choice. I picked up the garment, it was a long, black robe, like the ones that Arab women wore and pulled it over my head. It had a built-in hood. It was heavy and stifling, and had lots of material that shrouded my body. I knew that running would be impossible in this crazy dress. Perhaps that was why they wanted me to wear it, a kind of restraint. Then he gave me a strip of black cloth. �śYou are to fasten this across the lower part of your face, it is our custom.” I fixed the veil over me and felt like some Arab woman about to go to the local bazaar. It was horrible, I was no longer Claire Winter but an anonymous heap of black cloth with two eyes peering out.� �śCome with me.” He gripped my wrist and led me out of the cell, through the building into a large room in the wrecked town hall. One wall had partially collapsed and been boarded up, but the rest of it was in use. There was a group of men sitting behind a long table. Ryan pushed me to stand in front of them, I felt as if I was being interviewed for a college faculty. The guy� in the middle eyed me coldly. His eyes had the bright, burning gleam of the Medusans, but where they all had some kind of a mad, fanatic gleam, this guy had something else, something more. He was cold, almost a burning cold, where Ryan had fanaticism in his stare this guy had an fifty below zero calculation in his eyes. For a full minute he said nothing. The one sitting next to him leaned over and said something and he nodded. �śYou are Claire Winter?” I almost giggled, his voice was nothing like his formidable appearance. It was high, almost feminine. I decided to say nothing. Then I felt a blow as Ryan slapped me on the back of my head. �śYou will answer the Grand Master.” So that’s who he was. The head honcho. My head ached, but I was determined not be cowed by these bullies. Yep, I’d encountered these people all my life, a kind of �Śmight is right’ philosophy. If they were bigger and stronger than you they could do anything they wanted, that’s the way they always thought. Well, maybe, maybe not. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to just lie down and surrender. �śNo, my name is Britney Spears.” He looked panic-stricken. �śYou captured the wrong girl?” he asked Ryan.� �śNo, Grand Master, she is playing games, I’ve known her for some time. She is Claire Winter.” �śIs that correct?” he said to me. �śIf you know already, why ask me?” I replied. I braced myself for another blow on the head, but it didn’t come. He looked confused for a few moments. Try going to an American school for a while, I thought, that’ll straighten you out. �śVery well. You are to be the bridge between our people and the powers of the Amstrydae. You are The Carrier, as such you will be honored and treasured by us as a very important person. Your function is quite simple, to mate with those of us Medusans who are selected and bear the children that will lead us into a new world order. No one will ever again be able to oppose our strength. We will be masters of the new world.” Why did it always come down to this, I had seen the films, world domination, the new world order? Jesus, there was always some loony Napoleon wanting to take over the world, give me a break. But even as I was thinking that, trying to keep my spirits up with a brave spin on things, I started to slump as I thought of the horrific future that lay in store for me. To be repeatedly raped by these scum and even worse, bear their horrible children. �śIt’s against the law, you know,” I blurted out. It was all I could think of to say. They all looked at me. Eventually the �ŚGrand Master’ shrugged. �śNot our law.” He made a note on a piece of paper in front of him and looked up again. �śYour new life begins tomorrow. I will be the first to come to you.” �śNo!” I shouted. �śNever, you stay away from me, you filthy pervert.” Hands dragged at me and I was virtually carried back to my cell. All I could think of was the horror and terror of what I would face the next day. After about an hour, the lock rattled and the door opened. A woman came in, dressed identically to me in a long black robe with a black veil over her face. She was carrying a tray of food. �śYou should keep your strength up, you need to eat,” she said. She handed me the tray but I refused to take it. She surprised me by sitting on the bed next to me. �śLook, I know it is not easy for you, in your culture there is equality between men and women, is there not?” �śWell of course there is,” I replied. �śI mean, this is the twenty first century, what else would there be?” �śHere it is different. Women are just objects, to be used by the men as they wish. We are not free to choose what we do with our lives.” �śBut surely, if you have the same powers as the men you can do something about it.” Hadn’t these people heard of women’s lib? She shook her head. �śNo, we do not have powers, thousands of years ago when they were discovered, women were forbidden to have these powers. We are just normal mortals.” I was thinking rapidly, she seemed sympathetic, could I use that sympathy in some way? �śWhy don’t you tell me about these people, your people, the Medusans?” She seemed happy enough to chat with me and I listened for any sign that I could use her to help me get away, but she was too terrified of the men to even consider it. �śNo, no, you must do as they say, it is our place to be obedient. Just go along with them and everything will be ok.” Like hell it would, but I didn’t want to send any alarm signals to the Medusans so I toned it down. I’d like to have sent the a Cruise Missile though. �śYeah, I guess you’re right, I’ll accept the situation and hope it isn’t too uncomfortable.” �śIt won’t be, you’ll see. And you have The Master as your first partner, it is an honor.” Yuck. It was like saying I was going to roll in horse manure. But I smiled, before I realized that in these veils she couldn’t see my face.� �śI’m sure I’ll be fine.” � Yeah, right. If I could get out of here I would be. I already had one clue to use in my favor, they rated women as pretty weak and second rate. Might they underestimate me? If so, it might give me a slight edge, always assuming that I ever got a chance to use it. That was not looking too good. If only Ethan was here, he would know what to do, he’d show me the way out. If. The woman got up and left. I lay back down and tried to think of any way out of this. But I couldn’t, I was one person, a teenage girl surrounded by powerful people who wanted to kidnap and rape me. Well, they had achieved the first bit, I was well and truly kidnapped. There had to be a way of avoiding the second part! But how? I knew one thing for sure, I was not giving in easily. Someone was going to get an almighty kick in the nuts when they came for me the next day. I began to doze, I still hadn’t had much sleep and I felt very tired. I lost consciousness.� �śClaire, you must listen to me, Claire, can you hear me?” He was suddenly standing in front of me, but how could he have got into the cell? I realized it was a dream, he wasn’t really here, but at least I could see him. �śEthan, thank God you’re here, what happened?” �śThey took us by surprise, it was a suicide attack, they broke through into the tunnels and while we were dealing with them, they smashed through the rear entrance and took you. It is our fault, we should have protected you better.” �śLie next to me Ethan, let me feel your body pressing against me, I’m so alone here.” As I said it, I removed the stupid veil and pulled off the black robe so that I was only wearing my nightgown. Nothing he hadn’t seen before, I mused, at least, in a previous dream like this one.� �śWhen are they planning to start the first, er, session with you?” �śYou mean rape?” I said tartly, then regretted it. He was so warm and comforting next to me, even if he wasn’t really there.� �śI’m sorry, I know it must be terrible for you,” he replied. �śYeah, it is. It’s tomorrow, I don’t know when. You have to stop them.” �śRight, we are doing our best. Don’t give up hope, we are going to do everything possible to get you away from them.” �śIs Dad ok, and Megan? All the others?” �śOf course, they don’t have the power to kill us. Not yet, anyway.” I shivered as he said that. Of course, that’s why they wanted me. �śDon’t leave me, stay a little longer.” �śI can’t, Claire, there is a lot to do, to prepare. Be brave.” He slipped away, his form just evaporated, but my hopes soared. They knew where I was and were going to try and get me out. Please God, get me away from these certifiable lunatics. I awoke to an empty cell. I guessed it was evening, there was no way to know in this dark place, there were no clocks and I didn’t have a watch, but I formed a rough idea of the time. When would they come for me? Probably in the middle of the night when the Medusans were asleep and when their guard was lowest. I lay thinking about what was to come, what I would need to do. The hours passed slowly and the small sounds that I heard from outside the cell gradually faded to silence, it must be the night then. I tried to count the seconds, the minutes, the hours, but I couldn’t be sure if I got it right. � I heard footsteps someone was coming. Was it Ethan? I held my breath, felt the beginnings of hope and joy, but when the key turned in the lock, the Grand Master stood there. He was accompanied by a servant clad in a long, plain woolen robe, his head covered in a monkish type hood, the lackey waited by the cell door. The Grand Master stood looking at me coldly for a few moments, I knew he was picturing my naked flesh, savoring the meal to come. �śI couldn’t wait, my dear. I have come now to begin the task you are here to fulfill.” �śWell I’m quite happy to wait, so get out of here,” I hissed at him. But it was only pride that made me say it, I knew that I was utterly powerless. The guy totally ignored me and started to remove his own garments.� �śYou may remove your nightgown,” he said. �śNo way, go away, leave me alone.” I looked up wildly. Was this when he would call the servant to come and hold me down while he ripped off my clothes? But the servant had disappeared. Weird. The guy had stripped down to his underpants, my stomach churned to look at his disgusting, flabby body. Yuck, I was going to be sick.� �śHatim, hold the girl while I take off her clothes,” he said. The servant was back, dark and ominous in his robe. I flinched as he came towards me and stretched out his right hand. He brought his left hand out from behind his back it was holding a rock. Was he going to knock me unconscious with it before they raped me? Maybe that would be better. But what happened next was much better than that. He brought down the rock and smashed it hard on the Grand Master’s head. He dropped to the floor, unconscious. I looked at the servant, what the hell was going on here? Did he want me for himself? He pulled his hood back and revealed his face. God bless America and God bless Ethan, he was here, he’d come for me. I jumped up and flung my arms around him. �śEthan, my darling, thank God you’ve come. Don’t ever leave again, please.” �śClaire, you need to get a grip. We are not out of here yet. We’re going to use their own tactics, in about fifteen minutes,” he checked his watch. �śTen minutes now. Our people are going to stage an invasion of their quarters. They will cause total chaos. In all the confusion, I am going to spirit you out of a side tunnel that not all of them know about. Are you ready to run when I say?” I nodded. �śYou’d better put that robe and veil back on, just in case anyone sees us leaving here.” I quickly put on the black robe and veil, I was ready to do anything he told me, provided he would be with me. I gripped his hand, refusing to let it go. The minutes ticked past and then it was time to go. We left, the servant, minus his robe, was lying on the floor. He looked dead. Then Ethan looked at his watch again. �śAbout now, be ready.” There was an eruption of shouting, a bell started to clang and women screamed. Good, they were getting a taste of their own medicine. �śLet’s go. Don’t run, just look casual, we are two Medusans looking to see what the fuss is all about.” We left the cellblock and walked purposefully through the building and out into the open. There was a pile of broken rocks and crumpled buildings nearby, Ethan led us towards them and we slipped inside a dark doorway. We followed a long, dark passage until we reached another doorway, we went through and started down some steps. The shouting was growing louder, the bell was still clanging and I could smell burning. Even as I noticed it, the first wisps of smoke drifted down towards us. �śDon’t worry, that’s part of the diversion, our people set fire to an old wooden building.” I heard some shouts behind us, the sound of running feet. �śIt’s ok, we’re nearly there,” he said. We reached a heavy wooden door and Ethan turned the handle. Nothing! He pushed and pulled, tugged at it, wrenched even harder but it wouldn’t open. �śAccording to our intelligence, this door is always kept unlocked, but someone has locked it. We’re trapped.” The running feet were coming nearer and nearer, boots clattering on the rocky passageway. He looked wildly around, but there was nowhere to run. Then the door suddenly opened, someone was there, the other side. Ethan tensed, ready to fight, it was the woman who had brought me the food in the cell. Even in her black robe there was something about the way she stood, the way she carried herself that told me that it was her. �śIt’s alright, I am not your enemy. Come quickly.” She beckoned us through the doorway. We had no choice, our pursuers were almost on us. We leapt through the door and she closed it and locked it again. �śThis door used to be kept open, but there was a big security clampdown when they decided to raid the Amstrydae. I thought you would come this way, so I waited for you.” I looked at her, it was so hard to fathom her expression behind the veil. �śWhy are you helping us?” �śThere are many reasons. I do not agree with the kidnap and rape of young women. Besides, what is there here for any woman, a life of servitude and obedience to any man that decides he wants you as his property? It’s bad enough for us, I didn’t want an outsider suffering the same fate.” I thanked her and gave her a hug. �śYou are very brave, why don’t you come with us?” She shook her head. �śNo, I am too old and too tired. You must go, quickly. If the door at the end of this passage is also locked, I am sorry but I did not have time to check it, there is only one way out, that is a jump into the sea. I could not do that and survive, but you two are young. It may not be necessary, but if it is, do not hesitate, just jump. You must hurry, I wish you luck, I will not see you again. You,” she pointed at Ethan. �śI must speak with you alone.” He looked puzzled, but left me and went to listen as she whispered in his ear. I heard him say, �śAre you sure?” She nodded in reply, Ethan came back to stand next to me.� �śI must leave now or they will suspect,” she said, turning to go. �śStop,” I said before she left. �śWhat is your name?” �śIt is Najat. It means safety,” she smiled and went through the door into the passage and locked it behind her. I wanted to ask Ethan what she had said, but there wasn’t time. We pressed on down the passage, ignoring an opening that looked out onto a sheer drop to the sea. The door at the end was locked. �śWe’d better check out the opening to the sea, maybe we can climb down rather than risk jumping,” Ethan said. We retraced out steps and stood in the opening, it had a low wall. We peered over but there was no way to climb down. The cliff seemed to curve inwards, the sea was about fifty feet below us. The waves battered the rocky base of the island and they looked menacing. �śCan you swim?” Ethan asked me. �śOf course I can swim, but that’s the least of our problems. If we jump into that, there’ll be currents and wave motion that could smash us back onto the rocks. It’s ok for you,” I said. �śBecause I’m a boy?” �śBecause you can’t die. Vampires can’t be killed.” �śAmstrydae,” he corrected me. �śIt’s not entirely true that we can’t be killed, but near enough. I see what you mean, though.� Claire, you have to trust me, I will protect you. Do you trust me?” I didn’t need to think about it. Besides, there were voices outside the locked door now and the rattle of keys, someone was trying to unlock it. �śWith my life, Ethan.” �śTake off that robe. Then put your arms around my neck so that we stay together, I don’t want us to be separated when we go into the water.” I did as he said and we jumped. The drop seemed like forever, I held onto Ethan, my arms locked around him. No way was I going to let this boy go, not now, not ever. We hit the sea with a terrific crash, it was cold, so icy cold. We plunged deep, further and further, would our descent never end? Then it did stop as Ethan kicked out to propel upwards and we started to rise. But we weren’t as much rising as being swept along by the current. I had taken a large breath just before we hit the water, but the air in my lungs was fast running out, I needed oxygen and soon. Something hard and sharp brushed my leg, I assumed it was a rock. Were we being pushed out to sea or back onto the rocks? I had no way of knowing, only that we were unable to fight the vicious current and my lungs were bursting. I could hold my breath no longer, I opened my mouth a fraction, a reflex action, but instead of seawater pouring in, another mouth clamped over mine and started breathing air into me. Ethan! It was like a long, passionate kiss, an exchange of love between two besotted people, I sucked back at his mouth, drawing equal amounts of air and comfort from it. Then our heads broke the surface. He pulled away and I turned to look at the island, now about two hundred yards behind us.� �śClaire, there’s another small island about four hundred yards away, we’ve got to swim for it.” �śI’ll do my best,” I told him. �śI know.” I was quite a good swimmer, but even so it was tough going in the rough, cold sea around Andros. I struck out into a powerful breaststroke and headed for the small island. Ethan kept pace with me, but it was tiring, very tiring. We were still two hundred yards out when a vicious cross current caught us and I could see that I wasn’t going to make the island, the sea was just too strong.� Strong arms gripped me around the shoulders and Ethan turned me over on my back and started to tow me, swimming in the classic lifesaving fashion. He was very strong and almost tireless, when I canted my head over I could see that the island was getting closer. I felt better and told him I was ok to swim the remaining sixty or seventy yards to shore. He let me go and I turned over and got my powerful breaststroke going again. The tide was beating waves against the rocky shore but there was a tiny inlet, no more than ten feet across with a sandy strip that led to the sea. We swum for it and with the last of my reserves of strength I hauled myself onto the sand. I could hardly believe I was alive, that I was no longer a prisoner of the Medusans, destined to suffer multiple rapes. But it was true, I had got away, rescued by the strong, enigmatic boy that meant so much to me. I didn’t care what he was, some called him a vampire, an Amstrydae or whatever. He was simply my Ethan. We lay on the sand, gasping for breath. Soon, I began to realize just how cold I was. I told Ethan I was freezing and asked him what we could do next. Whatever it was, I wanted it to be quick. �śI contacted our people, we need to wait here until it’s dark, then they’ll come for us.” �śEthan, tell me how you managed to contact them.” He looked down at me and smiled. �śIt’s difficult to explain, but I expect that one day you’ll be able to do it yourself. It is a dream thing, I go into a kind of trance and in my dream I go out to the other person and talk to them, like I have with you. It is not as complicated as it sounds. Do you want me to hold you close to me for warmth?” �śYes, please, I’d like that.” I felt much warmer, with his body held close to mine, I was safe, secure. No one could do anything bad to me as long as he held me just like this. I decided to find out more about what was in store for me. �śWhat next, Ethan? What will your people do to stop the Medusan threat?” �śWe’ll have to try something,” he said. �śThey don’t yet know that we were laying a trap for them. We were so determined to lure them into our trap that we were blind to the trap they set for us. It won’t happen again.” �śSo you’ll arrange another meeting? Plant the radioactive stuff and lure them to its location?” �śWe’ll have to.” Strangely, I felt no fear. I wanted an end to this nightmare, a permanent end so that I could start living my life again. Ok, so maybe it was crappy most of the time, but at least I knew where I was going each day. I wanted to see Mom again, for all her faults she was generally pretty good. And I wanted Ethan, living in that cute little house the other side of Nathan’s Wood with his nice mom and that crazy housekeeper, or whoever she was. I had a fantasy of us walking together, hand in hand through the wood, arriving at his mom’s house for cups of that weird tea. But thinking of the wood made me think of Ranger Ryan, who I now realized was a Medusan. I shivered. �śAre you cold?” �śYes, a bit.” �śWhat were you thinking?” �śOh, I was just thinking of Mom, my home.” �śYou’ll see her again soon, I promise.” I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep that promise. Then I heard the sound of engines, but Ethan was already getting up. An inflatable boat with two powerful motors was approaching. Ulysses was at the wheel, together with Dad and two other guys I didn’t recognize. They came up to the beach and jumped ashore. Dad took me in his arms. �śHoney, are you ok?” �śI’m fine, thanks Dad. Ethan took care of me. And a woman called Najat.” �śNajat, who is she?” �śA Medusan.” His eyes widened. �śWhy did a Medusan help you?” �śBecause she liked me. And she didn’t like them.” He looked puzzled and I didn’t feel like explaining to him, not now. I heard Ethan talking to Ulysses. �śHave we got any plans for a second try?” �śYes, we have. We’ve got a facility down in Costa Rica we can use, it’s an island off the coast.” I couldn’t help but overhear. �śCosta Rica? Does that mean we’ll all be going there?” �śOnly if you want to,” Dad said. �śIsn’t that where they had that dinosaur thing in Jurassic Park?” He smiled. �śThat’s the place, but I can assure you there are no dinosaurs there.” I wasn’t a total dummy, I knew that. I also knew that what could be there might be infinitely more dangerous than a few moth-eaten dinosaurs. Over and above every other thought was an overwhelming tiredness. I had been dragged halfway across the world, kidnapped, rescued and now they wanted to take me back halfway across the world. Compared to what I was going through, school seemed to be a place of sunshine and happiness. Even Mom wasn’t so bad. Chapter 8 Our boat sped across the sea and I settled down for a long ride. Dad had explained that we were going straight to the mainland, the island of Andros itself was far too risky to return to, especially for me. The sea had settled into a calm swell, it didn’t appear to be anything like as threatening as when we’d jumped from the tunnel opening several hours before. I was swathed in blankets that they had brought with them in the boat and I began to feel warmer. I’d feel a lot warmer still if Ethan took me back in his arms, but he was talking to Ulysses. �śWhy Costa Rica?” I asked Dad. �śIt’s pretty remote, honey. Our people have a large estate down there so we will be a lot safer. Well, you’ll be a lot safer, and that’s what counts.” We finally reached a small fishing port on the coast of Greece. We went ashore where there was a car waiting for us, as usual its windows were darkened so that I felt safe from prying eyes. Medusan eyes. After driving for almost three hours, we reached the outskirts of Athens and the car drove through a gate into the grounds of a large villa. I heard a clang and looked behind me, the gates were already shut and two men were securing them. I could see another four men patrolling the grounds of the villa, Ulysses noticed me looking at them. �śYes, we’ve got the place well guarded, we’re not taking any more chances with your safety.” �śAre these people armed?” I asked him. �śThey are Amstrydae, they have weapons enough,” he replied. �śNot all of us have developed full powers, but these men were chosen because they are able to counter anything the Medusans can throw at us.” I guess I had to be satisfied with that, but kidnap and rape are the most disgusting things, almost the worst that could threaten your life. I still wished that the guards were carrying something more tangible, something I could see that would really deal with a Medusan attack. Like a gun, the bigger the better. Maybe a machine gun. I’m not a gun person normally, never have been, but when a bunch of lunatic fanatics are threatening to hunt you down and turn you into a sex slave, the liberal viewpoint has to take something of a back seat until the threat is over. Bring on the rednecks, at least until these bastards are dealt with. Megan showed me to my bedroom. �śThere’s a shower through that door, honey, you’ll want to clean up. I also arranged for them to supply you with some new clothes, I know your stuff was lost on Andros. If you want to go and clean up, I’ll put some things out on the bed for you.” I thanked her and went into the bathroom, I was still holding a blanket over me and under it I had on my nightgown, I threw it all off and enjoyed a long, hot shower. I put on the robe that hung behind the door and went back into the bedroom. There were clothes were on the bed. Panties and a bra that fitted me well, skinny jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt. It was a start, a good start on the road back to normality. Feeling more like my old self, I went out and found the kitchen, a huge room with a table in the middle that could have seated twenty or more people. They were all sitting around drinking coffee. Dad saw me and smiled. �śYou look much better, Claire, come and join us. We were just discussing you.” I just wished that people wouldn’t do that, couldn’t they wait until I was around? �śReally, what about me?” �śHow to keep you safe this time. The arrangements are already in place for the next meeting with the Medusans, it is due to take place a week from today. So we’ve got some time for sightseeing, if you would like to see a little of the city.” �śWhat is there to see?” They all smiled. �śAthens is the cradle of our civilization, Claire,” Ulysses explained. �śThe Acropolis, the Agora, the Temple of Zeus, the Library of Hadrian and so many more places that shaped our world. You should definitely see them before we leave, after all, our ancestors, your ancestors all came from here.” �śRight.� Yeah, ok, that would be cool.” I wasn’t entirely sure how cool it would be, it could turn out to be a pile of dusty old fly-blown rocks, but it sounded like the cultured thing to do. �śGood, it’s settled then. Your father and Megan will be taking you. There will be a separate car with four of our people to make sure nothing happens to you.” I spent the next three days sightseeing with Dad and Megan. On several of the trips, Ethan came too. It was wonderful to be back with them and Megan didn’t try to play the role of substitute mom. Instead, she became a good friend, a bit like an older sister. We romped around the thousands of years of European culture, sat in dusty pavement cafes drinking ice cold drinks, watched tourist displays of folk dancers and dark, metal and leather clad warriors reenacting the old Greek battles. Spartans, fearsome in the menacing helmets that covered their heads, scarlet cloaks, round shields with the Lambda insignia and long spears, sweeping the enemy before them into bloody rout. Then they all got up off the ground, smiled and bowed to the crowd while we all clapped, then they went off to phone their friends on their cell phones. Ancient Greece had sure come on a long way. On the last morning I packed the few possessions I had accumulated, a couple of skirts and tops that Dad had bought me, a jeans jacket, a few trinkets I’d bought myself. I put them in the ethnic holdall they’d given me and checked my purse, a kind of rip-off of a French Chanel design, bought in a local market. One day I vowed that I’d treat myself to an original, one day. Then we were climbing into the car and driving back to the airport. On the way, Dad had a surprise. �śMom was asking about you, she was worried.” �śOh, right. How is she?” �śShe’s fine. The good news is that she’s coming down to Costa Rica, she’s meeting us at the airport and coming out to the island with us. She wanted to be with you.” I felt good at last, maybe my life was at last coming back together. Dad, Mom, Megan as a best friend and Ethan always close.� �śThat’s wonderful, Dad.” We arrived at Athens International Airport and the car drove us to the hangar where we’d arrived. The Learjet was already outside on the tarmac, they told me it was ready to leave. We climbed up the steps and into the cabin, the same cabin attendant made sure that we were secure and happy with everything, then she closed the cabin door and the engines started. My long odyssey was taking me on the next step of the journey, to Costa Rica. The journey was long and boring, nothing new there. Once again we refueled at Lisbon in Portugal and once again we didn’t leave the aircraft. Then it was the long flight over the Atlantic, all the way down to Costa Rica. I slept for much of the way, I had little to say to anyone, deep down my stomach was tense and I was terrified about what was to come, although they’d see me in hell before I admitted it to anyone. I recalled their last attempt to pull the fangs of the Medusans, it had not ended well and they had been totally outwitted. Would this time be any different? Jesus, I hoped so.� But for now things did improve, I came down the aircraft stairs and Mom was waiting at the bottom. I ran to her, maybe for the first time I felt good about being with her. At one time it seemed as if I’d never see her again.� �śI’ve been so worried about you, Claire, have they looked after you?” �śIt’s all been fine, Mom, everything’s cool.” I lied. There wasn’t much point in saying too much, she’d only start to bitch, like moms do. �śWell, I’m with you now, so I’ll make sure you’re even better looked after.” Well, she couldn’t do much worse than they’d done so far, letting me get kidnapped. Then she saw Megan coming down the steps with Dad and her expression froze into a look of hate. Well, I couldn’t really blame her for that. But it was so intense, her eyes flashed with menace, they were almost on fire, for one moment it was like one of those weird looks the Medusans gave when they were angry. Better get a grip, Mom, I thought, or they’ll mistake you for the enemy. The cars were waiting for us, a couple of SUVs with the inevitable darkened windows. We climbed in and settled down for the drive to the Pacific coast. Two hours later we got out of the vehicles at yet another small port, it looked to me little different than the one in Greece where we’d landed in the inflatable boat. A large motor launch was waiting for us. It looked powerful and modern. We went aboard and they invited me to sit in the cabin. I shook my head. �śI’ve been sitting for what seems to be half my lifetime, I’ll stand in the back of the boat and get some fresh air.” I’d also been traveling for half a lifetime, I felt like a lost parcel, constantly circulating the world’s postal rooms. Mom came to join me and she seemed worried. �śAre you really ok, darling? You must been through a hell of a lot these last few days, you look so tired.” �śI’ll be fine.” I always was, it didn’t do to show weakness, even to your Mom. She’d never let me forget it. I remembered the long skirt and the raincoat. Ugh. �śSo what are you planning to do on the island?” �śWell, there’s this meeting with these people, the Medusans, you know about that?” �śTell me about it.” I was about to tell her everything, why not, she was my mom, she was on our side. But I saw Dad shaking his head behind her back. What the hell was that all about? �śI don’t really know the details, Mom, you’d best ask Dad, I expect he knows more than I do.” �śI don’t think you father would tell me anything. We don’t exactly get along, as you may have noticed, especially as he has his fancy woman with him.” I suppose she had a right to be bitter, but I liked Megan. I told Mom she was ok and she just gave me a fierce look and she went to go and sit in the cabin and sulk. I guess I felt a little bit disloyal, defending the woman that my dad had left her for. Dad came to stand next to me. �śWhat’s up?” I asked him. �śWhy can’t I tell Mom anything, don’t you trust her?” He hesitated for a moment and I waited for him to explain. It had to be more than the normal dislike of a couple who had separated. �śClaire, although she’s your mom and I was married to her, she’s not one of us, not an Amstrydae or Ardethan. This whole operation has to be kept to ourselves, no outsiders can know what we’re planning. I’m afraid that means your mom, she is an outsider too.” I watched the wake of the boat, white foam that streamed behind us as we cut through the sea. �śShe’s always been pretty nasty about vampires, every time one of those stories came up about them,” I said. �śDid she always know you were, you know, one of them?” �śYeah, she did, I had to tell her before we got married. I thought I loved her, that would be enough, but she seemed to be jealous of the bond that tied me to my people. I was never quite sure what she wanted, to be one of us, or for me to be a normal human being like her. It was as if at times she had an alternate agenda, that I could never work out. Sometimes, I thought that I never really knew her.” �śYou can’t blame her just because she didn’t like all of that stuff, Dad.” �śI guess not,” he smiled. �śI don’t blame her. Sometimes I wonder about her. It’s almost as if she possesses powers of her own, like there’s something hidden there, something inside her that I can almost see, but still, she’s not one of us. So keep it zipped up tight, ok.” �śSure, Dad.” Yeah, Claire the go-between, as usual, the ping-pong ball they could bat backwards and forwards from one to the other. We landed at a small clearing, just a beach with a wooden jetty that was on the southern side of the island. It was a mysterious looking place, mainly jungle. All very Jurassic Park, thank God that dinosaurs weren’t real. A couple of old four by fours were drawn up ready for us, they looked like ex-army jeeps, olive green and rusty in places. We got in and they drove us along a track through the teeming jungle. There was the constant sound of crickets chirping, birds screaming and taking off, the odd animal call. It was very hot and humid, soon we were all sweating badly. Then we came to a clearing and a house stood on its own surrounded by a whitewashed wall. The house had two floors and looked to me to be in good repair, how did they manage to do that in this isolated place? The jeeps stopped inside the walls and we got out. There were several hard looking men patrolling the grounds, just like they had in Athens, at least these people were taking the threat seriously at last. An older man and woman stood outside the house, their faces lit up with warm smiles. �śWelcome to our home, we have everything ready for you. Would you like to go straight to your rooms?” We were all in favor of getting cleaned up, it had been a long, tiring journey. I had an upstairs room to myself, Dad and Megan had the bedroom the other side of me, and Mom a room further down the passage. I ditched my bag on the bed and went to look out of the window, which overlooked the back of the house. There was a clump of trees and through them I could see a huge, open clearing, almost like an amphitheater. It had to be the meeting place. I went back downstairs and joined the others, Mom, Dad and Megan, Ulysses and Ethan were already there. They introduced me to the people that kept the house.� �śThis is Joseph and Maria, they own this place and make it available to any of our group when we need it.” We all shook hands, afterwards Ethan asked me to go for a walk around the grounds.� Outside, he took my hand, it felt so good to have him next to me, touching me. He must have showered, I could smell the faint tang of soap overlaying the musky, healthy odor that I always associated with him.� �śWe need to talk about the arrangements for tomorrow, Claire.” �śThe meeting, it’s for tomorrow?” Once again, my stomach lurched. A crazy thought crossed my mind, it was going to be the vampires’ tea party, and I was on the menu for dessert. I giggled. �śWhat are you laughing at?” �śOh, nothing. It’s a girl thing.” �śOk. Now listen, the whole of the Medusan community is arriving here later today and through tomorrow morning. They are assembling in the clearing beside the house, it’s a kind of natural amphitheater. The radioactive isotopes have already been buried there, but they are well shielded at present. We estimate that we need to get the Medusans there and keep them there for four hours with the radiation unshielded. That should be enough.” �śIsn’t it dangerous to us too?” �śNo, we have prepared anti-radiation shots for all of us, we’ll be ok. But listen, we don’t want your mother to come to the meeting.” �śMom, why ever not?” Here we go again. He hesitated and looked a little embarrassed. �śAs you know, she’s not one of us. We cannot let anyone know who isn’t one of the Amstrydae or Ardethans.” �śBut, she’s my mom.” �śWe know, but there are no exceptions, she can’t be a part of this, it’s for your own safety. They are giving her the news while we are out here, we know she may not like it. She probably feels as your mother that she has a right to a place with you, to be at your side protecting you. But the best protection for you is to keep everything between us, not to let any outsiders know what is going on.” I shrugged. �śWell, you know best. I just hope you can persuade Mom. She’ll go crazy.” We walked around for almost an hour, it was so peaceful and restful, just Ethan by my side, holding my hand. There was a small arbor with a bench seat, the trees beside it woven into an arch overhead, threaded with a beautiful display of colorful orchids. �śWould you like to sit here for a while?” he said to me. �śYes, I think I would.” We sat side by side, he put his arm around my shoulder. Then he pulled me closer to him, we turned our heads and we were kissing, passionately. After a minute, we broke apart, both breathless. �śClaire, I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he said. �śMe too.” I loved it, the feel, the touch, the smell of him. Don’t let it ever end. We sat there in silence for almost an hour, enjoying the feeling of being together, I loved just to touch him, to be next to him, to smell his musky boy scent. Then they called us into the house for lunch. We sat around the huge kitchen table while Maria and Joseph put food out. Then they sat down to join us. Mom was sat across from me, she was clearly burning with anger. Nobody mentioned the meeting the next day, until Mom couldn’t stand it any longer. �śYou know what they’re doing to me?”she snapped. I shook my head. Oh God, here we go again. �śThey’re keeping me here while this big meeting is happening tomorrow. I told them I needed to know the arrangements so that I could be with you to look after you, but they won’t tell me anything, they won’t even let me come with you. Claire, they’re keeping me here like a prisoner while you go to face those awful people. Do you hear me? I’m being kept a prisoner by these,” she was almost glowing red with indignation, �śthese vampires, these bloodsuckers!” �śMom, they’re not vampires, not really. You know that.” �śThey’re the same thing. You should realize what you’re getting into, what they’re getting you into.” �śThey’re nice people, Mom, they’re only taking care of me.” �śBy putting you in terrible danger?” There was no use in going over it, she was back in one of those �ŚMom’ moods. I saw Ulysses lean over and whisper something to Dad. He nodded and spoke to his ex-wife. �śCatherine, look, maybe we have been a bit too harsh with you. We will talk about the arrangements later, maybe you can be a part of it after all, ok? We will talk again, now is not the right time. Maybe over dinner tonight we’ll go over it, we’re busy all afternoon. You’ll know more then, we can tell you what we’ve got fixed up.” Mom’s anger disappeared almost immediately, her face regained its composure, well, almost.� �śWell, alright then, I guess that’ll be fine.” I noticed the flash in her eyes as she spoke, what was that look I had noticed there? It was like triumph, as if she’d won a victory. Well, I guess she had won, but she just wanted to be near me, after all. I stayed with Mom all afternoon, the others were busy preparing for the next day. We walked around the grounds, just as I had with Ethan that morning. �śAre you frightened about tomorrow?” Mom asked me. �śWell, I’m a bit nervous, I guess. I mean, you never know what might go wrong, but they’ll take care of me.” �śOf course they will, Claire, we all will. What time does it all start?” I told her I didn’t know, they hadn’t told me yet. �śOf course, they’re going to let us know over dinner,” she said. �śI’ll be happy when this is all over and I can go home. We can both go home, together, won’t that be nice?” �śIt sure will, Mom.” And I meant it, after all, home was home, despite the bullying and the boredom. Mom did her best, that was the important thing. I guess she was missing her Yoga class as well. Then she said a funny thing to me. �śClaire, when it all happens tomorrow, I’ll be with you, you know.” �śYes, I know you will.” �śI won’t let anything bad happen to you, I’ll take care of everything, you can trust me, you know that. What does happen at that meeting, it is your destiny.” �śOf course I trust you, Mom.” What the hell was she talking about? Of course I trusted her, why wouldn’t I? Except for little things like ignoring the bullying at school, stuff like that. And destiny? The last time she had used that word �Śdestiny’ it was a fragrance she was buying at the local drug store. When we went back into the house I was still trying to puzzle out what she’d meant. Trust her, that was ridiculous. If you couldn’t trust your mom, who could you trust? Up to a point, anyway. I was still smarting over that crappy skirt, stupid, I guess. Over dinner, Ulysses told us about the arrangements for the next morning.� �śWe’ll keep you here in the house with just two guards, Claire. We have arranged for a decoy so that the Medusans will think that you will be on the platform we have erected in the clearing. One of our people has a passing resemblance to you and we are going to dress her up, change her hairstyle and give them the impression that it is you out there. Just in case they try anything, but hopefully they won’t. Once the meeting has started and we have got general agreement we will bring you out and show them the real Claire Winter, The Carrier.” I could see Mom nodding as she listened to everything he said but I was totally confused, this was supposed to be an ambush, to finish them off, it was like Pearl Harbor, except that this time we were the Japanese. So what was all this �Śgeneral agreement’ crap? I’d have to ask him afterwards.� �śYou can be sure of one thing,” he continued, �śno way would we ever agree to you being surrendered to them. We must find another way to keep the peace, after all, we want nothing from them, we are hoping we can make guarantees and sureties to them that will be enough to stop the hostilities. Any questions?” I had a hundred questions.� Like what was all this nonsense, they knew very well what we were there for and it certainly was not for some agreement? They were aiming for the sterilization of almost the entire Medusan community, which would mean that the threat to me would die out, sooner or later. �śAre there any women amongst their group?” I asked them. He smiled. �śNo, Medusans don’t normally include women in their negotiations. It’s all men.” It was so weird, there was some sort of an agenda here that they weren’t telling me about, but I knew better than to ask. We had a strained kind of evening, no one relaxed. Except for Mom, she was chattier and seemed happy, for Mom, anyway. When I asked her about it she said she was pleased that it was almost all over and we would be able to go home. When I went to bed, the clearing the other side of the trees was lit up by hundreds of lanterns, the Medusan camp. It should have been a pretty sight, like sparkling fireflies dancing in the jungle gloom but the thought that our enemies were so close was a somber one. I slept badly and in the morning, I showered, dressed and went down for breakfast. They were all quiet and somber, which was the way I felt too. Mom was the exception. She seemed happy and excited. I guess that as she wasn’t one of them, well, one of us, she didn’t understand the seriousness of what was going on down here. When we had finished eating and they were getting ready to leave, I was in for another shock. Ulysses spoke to me. �śClaire, there are some last minute things we need to go over, would you come through to the library.” Mystified, I said, �śSure.” I followed him into a beautiful room, every part of the walls was covered in books.� He turned to me. �śWe’re leaving now, we have to move fast.” �śWhat are you talking about? I thought I was staying here for now, that you had a decoy.” �śYou are not going to the meeting, we are leaving the island.” I guess I just stood there with my mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. �śI’m sorry, Claire, we were never going to let you go near the meeting. As you know, it was all a ruse to get the Medusans in one place so that we could deal with them. Sterilize them, end the threat that they’ve been to us for so long.” �śBut, won’t they want me there, I thought that was the plan?” �śThere is no need now, they have all assembled. They are already getting the dose of radiation.” I knew it was the plan but now it was actually happening I was still horrified. �śAre you sure there are no women there?” �śNone. And I don’t think they will object when they find out what we have done, they must be sick of living their lives as virtual slaves. Besides, they just want the war to end, like we do. They can always find husbands from the humans, there’s nothing to stop them.” I thought of the woman who had helped me, Najat. It was true, she wanted what we all had. The freedom to live without the docile and obedient bondage that they all suffered. �śIt just seems so harsh, to do this to all of those men.” Well, maybe not quite so harsh when I thought of the Chief Slug, the Grand Master. �śThey had a choice,” he said. �śWe have begged them to leave us alone for hundreds of years, but they refused. Believe me, this is the only way.” �śSo while they’re all sat there expecting me to be on the platform at this meeting, we’ll be leaving the island?” �śYes,” he laughed. �śIt’s a good plan, they’re not expecting it.” �śLet’s hope not. Will Mom and Dad and Megan be coming with us, Ethan as well?” �śNot your mother. Come on, we must hurry. They’ll be here soon.” �śWho?” �śThe Medusans.” �śBut, they think I’m on that platform waiting for the meeting to start.” �śNo, they think you’re being held here with just two guards.” �śBut how could they think that?” Then the enormity of the betrayal hit me. �śMom.” �śYes, I am sorry. She has been with them since the beginning. She is one of them.” �śMom? That’s crazy.” But even as I said it, I remembered her pumping me for information, there was that strange light that came into her eyes at unguarded moments. Just like Father Ryan. �śOh, my God!” Oh, Mom, Oh, Jesus Christ. Not you! �śCome on, we can discuss it later,” he swung aside a bookcase, there was a narrow door there that led out into a secluded part of the garden. We went through, he closed it and led me to one of the jeeps. Two of the guards were waiting for us, one started the engine and we got in and drove away. �śThe others will follow shortly, don’t worry.” � We drove only a couple of hundred yards before the other jeep came roaring after us, I could see Dad and Megan with Ethan and Ulysses. Mom was not with them, of course. I wondered what would happen to her, in spite of everything I didn’t want her hurt. �śWhere are we headed?” �śStraight to the beach, we’ll take the launch and get back to the mainland before they know we’ve even left.” It was a simple plan, a good plan, but like most plans, it had the inbuilt tendency to go wrong at the crucial stage. It went wrong, badly wrong, the Medusans were cleverer than they’d given them credit for. As we drove through the jungle we saw a group of Medusans racing out of the trees, obviously trying to stop us before we reached the boat, they had worked out what we were doing. I gripped Ethan’s hand and felt his reassuring squeeze. �śWhat do we do now?” �śWe fight. One of the guards will stay with you, I’m going to help them.” �śEthan!” But he had already leapt out of the jeep with the other guard. Megan came over to stay with me but Dad and Ulysses joined Ethan and ran at the Medusans. They came together with a loud crash, fists flew, boots kicked out, it was like an ancient bout in the Roman arena, a bloody fight to the death without weapons but the combatants didn’t need them, they were so supernaturally powerful. The Amstrydae were incredibly strong, but the Medusans were strong too and had their peculiar power of thought reading, so that they seemed to anticipate every blow before it hit them. I reminded myself that the Amstrydae could not die, did that apply to the Ardethans as well? I hoped so. I was frightened for Dad.� The fight was going badly for us, they outnumbered us massively, suddenly two of the Medusans broke away and ran at our jeep. I was frozen with indecision for a moment, should I fight or run, but then two shots rang out, almost deafening me. The whole beach froze, the fighters stopped and I looked around. Megan had found a pistol under the seat of the jeep and shot the two attackers. She was weeping, �śI didn’t want to kill them but I had no choice, they would have taken you.” This time I took her in my arms. �śIt was a brave thing to do. I could have been taken by them, you stopped them. Thank you, Megan.”� Then more Medusans poured out of the jungle, blocking the track between us and the boat. I saw Ulysses looking around, calculating. Then he came hurtling back to the jeep. �śThere’s a track at the side, we can get away from them. Come on, let’s go,” he shouted. They ran for the jeeps, the engines were started and we raced away along the track, the Medusans ran forward, their hands actually touched the bodywork, but we had escaped. The track was narrow, branches whipped at us as we drove, but they kept the jeeps moving at speed. We must have covered five miles before we stopped in the middle of a dense patch of jungle.� �śWhy have we stopped?” I asked Ulysses. �śLook,” he pointed ahead. I looked where he indicated, where the track should have continued, it was overgrown, blocked. �śWhat do we do now?” �śWe find somewhere to hide and wait.” We got out of the jeeps and started to hike through the thick foliage. It was hard going, the path was narrow, almost non-existent in parts. Thorns constantly pricked at our clothes, my jeans were ripped, my arms and legs were scratched bloody. After we had covered a mile, we stopped. �śThis should be enough,” Ulysses said. �śWe’ll wait here until dark. It’s a long wait, we need to get some rest.” I sat down on the ground. The jungle stank, it was a smell of rotting foliage and vegetation. And fear. We were terribly exposed. If they came upon us on foot, their superior numbers would be enough to finish us. I went to speak to Ethan, but he shushed me to silence. In the distance, I could hear the sound of breaking twigs and low voices. They were hunting us. We sat quietly but none came near. All through the afternoon we were quiet, Megan dozed, her head in Dad’s lap for a pillow. I wanted Ethan to put his head in my lap, I wanted to stroke his thick, rich hair, but he was standing sentry duty at the edge of the tiny clearing in which we hid. It got dark, and very cold. I felt tired, numb with Mom’s betrayal. �śIt’s time to move,” Ulysses said, getting to his feet. �śHow will we see to get through the jungle?” I asked him. �śWe’re Amstrydae,” he said. I remembered Ethan’s uncanny night vision when I’d met him in the woods. �śWill you help me, I can’t see a thing?” Ethan came beside me. �śTry opening your eyes, Claire.” �śI have got them open.” �śNo, forget your normal instinct that you can’t see in the dark. Look through the darkness, see it with your inner mind.” It sounded like some mysterious crap to me, like �Śuse the force, young Luke Skywalker’, but I tried to do as he said. And there was something, I realized that I could see vague shapes around me. I tried again and they resolved themselves into definite objects. Then they focused, wow, I could see. I told them, hardly believing it myself. �śThat’s good, your powers are coming to you and developing. We expected that.” �śSo what else will I be able to do?” In the pitch dark I saw him smile. �śYou’ll become very strong, you may develop the ability to communicate over long distances, in dreams. And if you drink blood, you’ll find you can live for many lifetimes.” �śDrink blood? Oh, that’s awful.” �śBut you eat meat, don’t you?” �śWell, yes, of course,” I replied. �śSo what’s the difference with drinking blood, the meat you eat contains blood. You will develop a thirst for it.” Yuck! �śDo you mean human blood?” He laughed. �śNot at all. Human blood is best, it is the purest, we try and source it from blood banks, don’t worry, we pay for donations. But animal blood is better than nothing.” �śIt sounds disgusting.” �śIt won’t taste that way when you start to crave it,” he laughed. �śIt tastes like fine wine.” Yeah, you go ahead, I’ll stay with diet soda. We made our way back to the beach, threading through the trees and avoiding the track. The launch was lying at anchor, Ethan swam out and started the engines and brought it to shore so that we could get aboard. Then Ulysses took the wheel and set course for the mainland. We were going home, wherever that is. As we were speeding away from the beach, I saw with my newly developed night vision the Medusans massing on the beach. Whatever had happened to them here with the radiation, I knew in my heart that this was not going to work, they would not just give up, they’d want payback. I didn’t need any mysterious powers to work that one out. Maybe it had been worth a try, maybe it would work in the long run, but right now they were just like school bullies, they could knock you around but if anyone kicked back at them they went crazy with this revenge thing. I watched the island recede into the distance, then I turned and went into the cabin. �śWhere are we going now?” I asked them. �śBack to New Orleans,” Dad said. �śI’ve got a place there where we can rest up until we know how successful we’ve been.” �śDo you think the Medusans will still come after us?” Megan asked him. I interrupted. �śWouldn’t you?” I said tiredly. She nodded. �śYeah, I guess I would.”� It wasn’t over yet and I thought that maybe we had miscalculated. Even if it had worked, they would be pretty pissed for a while. I’d have thought it was obvious, this was a long term plan. In the short term, we had stirred up a hornet’s nest. Chapter 9 We spent a day and a half returning to the USA and then to New Orleans by way of a roundabout route. I asked Dad if it would keep them away from us. �śNot for long, honey. They are very cunning and very skilful, very powerful. They will track us there, sooner or later. But what we need is time to get our defenses in place, so that when they do come, we’ll be ready for them. What we’re hoping is that they will eventually give up if and when they realize they are infertile.” Well, yeah, that’s right. That was it, the big �ŚIf’ and �ŚWhen’. I hesitated, but I had to say the thing that was on my mind. �śIt would be easier for all of you if I was dead, wouldn’t it?” His face dropped, his concern etched into the lines that stretched across his face, his eyes deep and full of love for me. �śHoney, that wouldn’t easier at all. Apart from breaking my heart as well as Megan’s heart, she has become very fond of you, all it would do is put them off until the next Carrier is born. We would spend centuries looking over our shoulders and wondering when the next crisis would happen. No, we have done that too many times before. You were right, you know. This time, we have to try and finish it, once and for all.” We arrived in the hallway of the town house that he owned in the city, I learned that he had many properties here for his various ventures. A part of me hoped that we could stay there, it was so elegant, so beautiful, furnished with art and antiques. But I wanted to go home, too, but that would bring up a huge problem. Mom. I needed to ask what had happened to her, if they knew, but I had held off so far, I think I didn’t want to know the answer. I hadn’t seen Ethan either since yesterday, I asked Dad where he was. �śHe went to sort out some personal business, honey. He never said where he was going.” �śOh, he didn’t say goodbye, I didn’t know.” �śYou’re fond of him, aren’t you?” Yeah, just a little bit. �śI guess.” �śYes. Well, maybe when you’re older, you two might make a go of things.” �śI’m almost sixteen, Dad. Give me some credit.” He looked puzzled. I shouldn’t exactly have to tell him that Ethan and I weren’t about to elope. But I felt so lonely. �śDad, what about Mom, have you heard anything?” He nodded. �śYes, she went home.” �śHome? So I could call her if I wanted?” He hesitated. �śWould you want to call her? She betrayed you to those people, it was a dreadful thing.” �śBut if she is a Medusan, she thought she was doing the right thing.” He snorted at that. �śThe right thing? She married me under false pretences, you were born under false pretences and then she tried to sell you out to those Medusan animals, how is that doing the right thing?” �śIf you were asked to infiltrate the Medusans, would you do it for the Amstrydae?” He thought about that for a moment. �śWell, yes, I would, but it’s different.” Yeah, it was always different on the other side. That had been the biggest problem of my life, people never saw things from the other side. �śI do want to talk to Mom.” He sighed. �śOk, honey. We’ve got an untraceable cell phone you can use to call her. But don’t tell her where we are, will you?” I gave him a look that I hoped carried the right message. A message that said, �Śexactly how stupid have you brought your daughter up to be?’ At least he had the grace to say, �śSorry.” I took the cell phone that he gave me and called Mom. At first she was silent, astonished that I’d called. �śClaire? I thought you’d never want to speak to me again.” �śNo. I thought about it, but after all, you are my mom.” �śAnd you’re my daughter.” �śWell, yes.” About time you realized that, Mom. �śI’m just so sorry it happened, I’ve been stupid. Can we patch things up?” �śI want to talk to you about that.” �śWhat can I do to make up for what I did? Can I see you, where are you?” �śMom!” �śYes, of course, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m not working for them anymore.” �śSo you say.” �śRight. Can we meet sometime?” I thought for a moment. �śLook, I’ll call you when things are settled. Take care, Mom.” I cut the connection. It was a miserable conversation. I couldn’t tell her where I was, what I was doing, anything, and she was my Mom. She was also the woman who’d tried to sell me out. Would I ever see her again? I couldn’t be certain. I saw Dad looking through the doorway he came into the room. �śAll ok, honey?” I nodded. �śShe was fine. I’d like to see her, but I know it may be impossible.” Ulysses came in and looked at Dad. �śWe’re ok, no attempt at tracing.” I glanced from one to the other. �śWhat do you mean?” �śWe checked the call, honey, just to make sure they weren’t trying to track our location. If they were, we could have cut it straight away.” I felt cold in my stomach, the constant distrust and threats of betrayal. But I knew it was necessary. �śSo Mom can be trusted then, is she ok now?” �śNo, not entirely. We must always remember who she is and what she is capable of. But maybe, just maybe, she’s changed. Time will tell.” �śSurely if the Medusans have all been neutralized with the radiation, I mean, won’t they give up? I mean, I know they will be bitter at first, but surely they’ll calm down in the end? When they’re not hunting me any more I can go and see Mom.” �śBut we don’t yet know they will respond, or even if it worked,” Ulysses said. �śUntil we do, we must assume that they are still coming after you. And, even if the radiation did work, they’ll probably want revenge. No, we need to keep our defenses up, for a long time to come, anyway. It was a good plan, Claire, but it’s not going to get them off our back in the short term, so we need to be careful.” �śWhat do you call the short term?” �śOh, maybe twenty or thirty years or so,” he said. Was that a joke? �śI could be dead in thirty years.” �śNo, you could not. You are Amstrydae. Make that about five hundred years.” Oh, my God! Forget the hundreds of years, after a few days I began to feel like I was a prisoner. I asked them if it would be safe to go out. They still hadn’t had any word about the Medusans, where they were or what they were planning. I insisted, told them I had to leave the house if I wasn’t to lose my mind, I even worked up a bit of a tantrum. In the end, they gave in. �śYou’ll need an escort, Dad said. �śI’ll go with you, Megan will want to come too.” �śYeah, ok, that would be fine.” I was quite happy to have some company, besides, the last thing I wanted was to be spirited off some New Orleans sidewalk by a Medusan hit squad. After lunch, we set out to walk around the city centre. They were very protective, Dad one side of me and Megan the other. As we walked along I caught sight of two of our people following a short distance behind, I saw their reflections in the window of a store. They were being very careful to stay close and I couldn’t blame them. We checked out a display in a high tech store that sold computers and IPods when Dad said, �śWhy don’t we go in and look them all over?” We went in and I spent a happy half hour playing with the electronic toys. A laptop was connected to the internet and I surfed for a bit. A sales guy came up and asked me if I was planning to buy. I was about to say no, but Dad interrupted. �śWould you like that one, honey? We’ve got a local WiFi access point at the house if you needed to connect to the net.” Would I? What a question. I came out of the store with a brand new laptop in a dark blue leather case. At least I’d be able to start living again and find out what was going on in the world. I was working out my to-do list, Facebook, email, messenger software, maybe even a webcam connection to have face to face chats with my old friends from home. Did Mom have a computer at home, I wondered? Of course she did, my old computer was still there, she could use that. All of a sudden, I was getting my life back together, at least in part. The sun was shining, I was walking around what was probably the most fascinating city in the US, with a brand new laptop. At last, the terrible things that had happened were fading into the past. I couldn’t wait for Ethan to get back so that I could share it all with him, I pictured the two of us surfing together, maybe we could even have a joint Facebook account. Or was that a bit pushy? I’d have to think about it. I felt Dad grip my arm tightly. �śWhat’s up, Dad.” �śMedusans. They’ve found us.” They swung me around and we started walking back. As we had turned I’d caught a glimpse of a group of people staring at us, eyes blazing, smoldering, there were eight of them and we’d nearly walked straight into them. Of course, they could just have been eight men of Middle Eastern appearance with eyes like burning coals that happened to be strolling in the New Orleans sunshine, but it was unlikely. They hurried me along, the two guards keeping pace close behind us. Were they following? I turned my head, yes, they were no more than ten paces behind us.� �śWe need to lead them away from the house,” Dad said. �śWe’ve got an alternative way in, we’d better get there quickly before they call for reinforcements.” We walked hurriedly through a maze of narrow streets and arcades, then turned a corner and ducked into a store labeled �ŚPet Supplies’. The clerk, who was probably the owner, looked up, recognized Dad and looked away. We rushed through a side door which led down into a basement. Once again, I found myself in a New Orleans tunnel. At least it was lit this time, I had no time to try seeing in the dark, a line of bulbs showed the way along the damp passageway, walls dripping with water, puddles on the ground. We moved quickly along the tunnel until we came to a set of stairs, we went up and through a door. We were home, in the hallway of the house where we were staying. �śI think we threw them off,” Dad said. �śBut they’re obviously in the area, they’ll find us here pretty soon.” �śHow?” I asked him. �śIf we stay out of sight for a while they may think we’ve left.” Megan smiled bitterly. �śIf only it was that simple it would be fine. But they will be here. They can smell us.” Of course, I remembered the powerful sense of smell that both the Amstrydae and the Medusans possessed. I hadn’t noticed that I had acquired it yet, but maybe it would come to me as I grew older. I wasn’t too sure about that, what about bad cases of body odor? �śSo, what now?” �śWe’ll have to move as quickly as possible,” Dad said. �śWe’ve always known that if they found us we’d have to leave.” �śSo what are you saying, we have to go and live out in the boonies for the rest of our lives? I mean, my life.” �śYes, it may well mean that. Or at least until they give it up and accept things as they are, which obviously they haven’t yet. I’m sorry, honey, but we have to keep you safe.” �śYeah, I guess so.” I left them and went up to my room. I set up my new laptop and found a good connection to a WiFi network. At last, I was back in touch with the world. I scanned Google for news of Andros, there was a lot of stuff to do with the earthquake but nothing new. Then I pulled up a map of Canada, it was depressing in its enormous emptiness. I decided to do my damndest to eventually find somewhere else to go and live, the middle of a Canadian forest didn’t seem like a picnic for a girl who had yet to experience her sixteenth birthday. Dinner was a quiet affair. We were now living the lives of hunted fugitives, always looking over our shoulders and for the next place to run and hide. At that moment I had a terrible thought, that instead of trying to irradiate them we should have nuked them. I mean, I just wanted them to leave me alone, that wasn’t much to ask, was it? �śIs there any word from Ethan?” I asked them. There was a deathly silence at the table. I felt a dawning sense of dread. No! �śWhat, what is it? What’s happened?” �śWe don’t know,” Ulysses said. �śHe went to visit his family, he was supposed to be back by this morning but we haven’t heard from him yet. I’m sure he’s ok.” Bullshit! He didn’t realize that you don’t grow up to be a fifteen year old girl without acquiring a powerful bullshit detector. You didn’t need to be a vampire to have one of those, or an Amstrydae or whatever. Just a teenager that knew what crap the world could throw at you. �śWhere could he be, what do you think has happened?” �śWe don’t know, Claire,” Dad said. �śThere’s no reason to panic, he’ll probably be back before long.” Bullshit number two. I snapped at them. �śLook, with all that’s going on, you know he could be in trouble. We need to do something to find him.” Then it struck me, whatever had happened, wherever he was, he could always get in touch. �śDreams,” I said to them. They gave me that �Śhave you lost your marbles?’ look. �śNo, really, Ethan contacts me in my dreams. If I was asleep, he could get in touch with me if he wanted to.” �śBut you’re not asleep,” Megan said practically. �śYou need to help me get to sleep, and then I might get something from him. How do I get to sleep quickly? How do you do it, Megan, when you can’t sleep?” �śI have a couple of stiff whiskeys,” she smiled. �śThen that’s what I’ll do, give me a couple of drinks.” �śThat’s illegal,” Dad said. I just smiled at him. Really!� As if that was the only problem we faced right now. I had my first drink, then a second, they were both pretty stiff ones. Yuck, did people actually pay money to drink this stuff? It hit me pretty hard and they had to help me up the stairs to my bed and they left me on my own. I got changed into my nightclothes and into bed, but sleep eluded me, I just felt dizzy. I saw the door open a crack, it was Megan. �śI thought to look and see if you’re ok.” �śI’m not, it hasn’t worked. I need another drink.” �śAre you sure?” �śMegan, bring it to me, this is an emergency.” She brought me a glass almost full to the brim with whiskey. I downed it in one gulp and nearly choked. After a few minutes the room started to spin, then I was gone. �śClaire.” I could see Ethan standing next to my bed. �śEthan, where are you?” �śThey took me, I’m being held on a boat here in New Orleans, it’s in the harbor on Lake Ponchartrain. I got back from my trip, got off the airplane and into a taxi. But it was their own taxi, a fake, they just fell on me and put me in handcuffs.” �śAre you ok, I mean, did they hurt you?” �śNo, I’m good. But there were just too many of them to fight and this cabin I’m in is impossible to get out of from the inside, it’s like a strongroom.” He described the vessel and the location and I made sure I had it memorized. �śI’ll need to wake up now and go and tell the others, they’ll want to come and get you out.” �śClaire, no, just let’s spend a few minutes together, if that’s ok?” He got into my bed. Like before, he was fully dressed, but like before, I could feel his body against mine, warm and reassuring, it was almost like he was naked. I started to feel embarrassed, then I remembered that he wasn’t actually there at all. But it was a strange feeling, a wonderful feeling. A feeling I wanted to have with me forever.� �śNow I have to go,” he said after a few minutes. �śBelieve me, I don’t want to, but I must give you time to tell them where I am.” �śI don’t want you to go either.” �śWe’ll be together soon, Claire. I know I’ll see you later, I’ll wake you now.” He got out of my bed and walked towards the door, gradually his form started to fade and disappear. I felt a jolt and abruptly came awake. I put on my robe and hurried down the stairs. �śIt worked, Ethan came to me.” They looked up and I told them what he had told me. �śCan you describe the boat, Claire?” Ulysses asked. �śWell, I�Ś” It occurred to me that I wanted to be with them when they went for him. If I told them about the boat, they would probably refuse to take me because of the risk. �śI’d recognize it if I saw it, I know I would, but I don’t know the name.” They argued strongly with me, of course I knew they would, but I also knew they had no choice. In the end, we set out after dark for Lake Ponchartrain. First of all a decoy limousine arrived at the house and a party climbed in, including one of our people dressed to look exactly like me. It was one of the lighter moments that night. The only one who faintly resembled me, in build and looks, was a young man in his early twenties. His name was Jason. As I helped him into my clothes and coat, I knew that they were all smiling broadly when they thought he wasn’t looking. I passed him my purse, then said, �śOne second, there’s something you’re missing.” �śWhat’s that?” I took back my purse, got out my lipstick and painted his lips a pleasant shade of pink. �śThere, that should do it, you look just like me.” I handed him back my purse. �ŚHis’ purse. �śThanks a bunch,” he snarled. �śThat’s no problem, Jason, you look very pretty,” I said sweetly. He left with four of our people as escorts. The fun was over, now it was down to business. We left by the tunnel, walking through to the Pet Supplies shop and out into the street. A minivan was waiting there for us, we climbed in the back and the driver headed to the lake. It was a short journey and we drove in silence. The van stopped and we got out, the men were armed with a selection of crowbars and baseball bats. I could only pray that they wouldn’t be necessary, that this would be painless, especially for Ethan. The harbor was crammed with boats, we walked along and I soon picked out the boat that Ethan had described to me. It was about forty feet long and appeared to be deserted, the men walked confidently down the gangplank and boarded the vessel and I followed. A door in the cabin opened and a Medusan walked out and spotted them. He opened his mouth to shout but Ulysses swung his bat once and the guy fell to the deck unconscious. Ulysses turned to me. �śDo you recall where Ethan is being held?” �śYes, the cabin is right at the front of the boat, it’s a storage locker of some sort.” �śRight, let’s get him.” It was almost too easy, another Medusan guard appeared and joined his friend, falling victim to Ulysses’ baseball bat. I felt like cheering, yes, sock it to these bastards.� We went to the front of the boat and found the strong room as Ethan had described to me. There was no key necessary to open the door of Ethan’s prison, it was secured by heavy bolts on the outside. They simply slid back the bolts and opened the door and there he was, Ethan. His expression brightened as he saw us in the open doorway. �śYou’ve come, thank God. I have a lot to tell you. The Medusans know where the house is in the French Quarter, they are on their way there now to mount an attack.” �śHow many of them?” Ulysses asked. �śAt least a hundred, too many for us.” �śRight, we’ll go back in the way we came out. I’ll warn them what to expect.” Ethan pulled me into his arms and I enjoyed the warm security of being reunited with him. I saw Ulysses pull out his cell and speed dial the number.� �śYou need to prepare, they’re coming. What? Already? Ok, we’re on our way back.” He looked at us. His face was grim. �śThey’re already there, the house is surrounded. They saw Jason dressed as you and our people were forced to make a run for it, they had barely left the house, they’ve gone back there now.” We ran back to the minivan and the driver hurtled back into the city. He parked outside the Pet Supplies store and we hurried back through the tunnel and into the house. We went straight to the front and looked out of the window. A crowd of people were milling around in the street, about twenty stood directly in front of the building. Medusans. In front of them, staring directly at us was the loathsome figure of the Grand Master.� �śI’m going out to see what they want,” Ulysses said. �śWe know what they want, it’s Claire!” Dad told him angrily. �śYes, but there has to be some way of delaying them, we need time to get our people away from here. I’ll give it a try.” He went to the front door and out onto the top step. Dad joined him.� �śEthan, what’s to stop them taking Dad and Ulysses prisoner?” I asked him. �śWe’ve got two of our people in the upstairs windows with rifles. They know that if they try anything we’ll shoot, although rifle bullets wouldn’t kill them. As long as they don’t try anything, we’ll hold our fire. Apart from that, we have, well, other powers, at least to slow them down.” I remembered that moment when the strong wind had helped me escape from Father Ryan and Stella, a wind in the shape of Ethan. Yes, that was impressive. We heard them talking loudly outside the front door. �śWe are not leaving without her, you may as well hand her over now. We will kill the lot of you if you don’t give her to us. It is the only way, you fools, otherwise we will wipe you out, every last one of you and we’ll get her in the end.” �śWhy would you want her?” Ulysses asked him. �śHave you checked your sperm count lately, don’t you realize she’s no use to you, you are all sterile, you know you can’t breed children?” I heard the Grand Master’s sneering voice. �śYes, that was a clever stunt, a lot of our people have a score to settle with the Amstrydae for that one. But what you do not understand is that many of us are immune to radiation, we are more powerful than you could imagine, my friend, much more powerful. Now hand her over and you will all live, otherwise we will take her by force and you will all end up with stakes through your hearts. I’ll give you twenty-four hours, and then we’ll take what we want by force.” �śGo to hell,” I heard Ulysses say. They came back in, I had seen better negotiating tactics. �śI’m sorry,” Dad said. �śYou heard him? It didn’t work.” �śYes, it seems that we underestimated them,” Ethan replied. �śWhat’s next?” Ulysses joined us. �śWe need to leave here as soon as possible. Tomorrow would be best, at first light. We will travel light, we can employ people to dispose of the furnishings and house afterwards, I shouldn’t think we will be coming back.” He looked at Dad. �śIsn’t it time now for the ceremony, it might be our last chance for a long time?” �śYes, I believe you are right. You mean tonight?” Ulysses nodded. �śWhat ceremony are they talking about?” I asked Ethan, after they had left to begin arranging for our departure. They were keeping something from me, as usual, and I didn’t like it. �śIt is for you, Claire. All of us Amstrydae go through it. It is a sort of induction that, well, makes you fully one of us.” I felt a trembling in the pit of my stomach. Yes, I knew now that I was one of their people and yet I still wasn’t, not completely. I was still Claire Winter, small town schoolgirl, I had a home and a mom. Not many friends and my mom had become my enemy, it was true, but I could live with that. I always did. Somehow. �śWhat happens in this ceremony, is it anything nasty? I mean, will it hurt?” �śNo,” he smiled. �śReally, it’s nothing much at all, more symbolic than anything, but it is an important step to take. You must do it.” �śVery well, if you say I should, I will. I trust you, Ethan, with my life.” �śI won’t let you down, Claire.” There was no evening meal, we waited until ten o’clock, which was the time they had fixed for this ceremony. It took place in the living room, all of the drapes were pulled across and the lights were out, but I could see fine, we all could see. I was told to sit in a chair at one end of the room and the others formed a kind of horseshoe-shaped half circle around me. Ulysses chanted an endless litany of strange phrases, I didn’t understand a word of it but I had been warned that he would be speaking in Ancient Greek. After about half an hour, he stopped speaking and picked up a goblet from the table. Dad came up to him and picked up a knife that lay on the table.� I held my breath, watching him wield the knife while Ulysses chanted more phrases. Then to my horror, Dad made a small cut in his hand and drops of blood fell into the goblet. The cut was tiny, but it was pretty gruesome to watch it happening. My horror increased when he went around each of the group in turn and made similar nicks in their hands and let a couple of drops of blood fall into the goblet, he finished up with his own blood. Then Ulysses brought the goblet to me. �śYou must drink this if you are to be one with us.” �śI can’t,” I whispered in horrified fascination. He said nothing, just stood there and waited. There was silence in the room. They were all frozen, waiting. Waiting for me! Then a peculiar thing happened. I began to feel drawn to the blood in the goblet. It was drawing me towards it, as if it had a message for me. It lost its dreadful repulsion and to my surprise, I realized that I actually wanted it. Almost as if they were not a part of me, I saw my hands reach out and take the vessel. My hands brought it towards my mouth and try as I might I could not stop my mouth from opening. My hands brought the goblet up to my mouth and I tipped it. Was this me, was I really doing this? Surely not! � But I tipped the vessel a little more and the blood trickled into my mouth. At first, I recoiled, but then I had second thoughts. It tasted good, no, more than that, it was wonderful. It was, both warm and cool, refreshing and reassuring, like a meal I had been waiting for all of my life. They all looked at me, the atmosphere in the room had relaxed. �śWelcome, Claire,” Ulysses said. �śNow you truly are one of us.” I felt like one of them now, much closer to each, and every one of them. And now we had to get back to the fight. One of the guards came into the room. �śThey are massing outside the house, the Medusans, even more of them. We think they are about to start breaking through the door.” �śThey’ve obviously decided not to wait for twenty-four hours,” Dad said. �śWe must start preparing to leave, before it’s too late.” We left the room and I went upstairs to pack my few things, most importantly my precious new laptop. I went down the stairs to hear the telephone ringing. �śWould you answer it?” Ulysses asked me. I picked up the phone, �śWinter residence,” I thought I sounded really classy. �śIs that Claire?” I hesitated. It was a foreign accent,I had heard it before, but where? Then I remembered. It was Najat. She was the woman who had helped us in the tunnels on the island of Andros. �śNajat? Why have you phoned, are you ok?” �śThere is talk amongst the men, they are beginning to tire of waiting to take you. Some of them want to take direct action in revenge for what your people did to them, some of them even want to steal a plane and use it to attack the house you are in, like a missile.” Images of 911 leapt into the forefront of my mind. No, surely not.� �śYou mean they’re going to mount a suicide raid on this house, to fly an airplane into it?” �śYes. Exactly!” �śNajat, I have to go and warn them, how long do we have?” �śI do not know. I think they are on their way as we speak. It may only be minutes.” �śNajat, thank you, I owe you everything. Take care with your people, I don’t want them to find out and hurt you.” �śThey already have,” she said somberly.� I put down the phone and ran to warn the others. There was immediate uproar. �śThis changes everything,” Dad said. �śLet’s get out now, through the tunnel. Let’s go!” There were shouts all over the house as everyone assembled in the hallway.� �śCome on, move, move fast!” Ulysses urged us all on. We ran down the stairs into the tunnel. We literally charged along the dark passageway towards the Pet Supplies store, then we reached the stairs and bound up into the darkened store. Dad was opening the front door to the street when we heard a dull roar and a sheet of orange flame leapt up into the sky.� �śThey did it,” Megan said. �śThose bastards did it. Guy, the house, I’m so sorry.” Dad shrugged. �śYeah, but at least we got out before it got hit.” �śWe owe that Medusan woman a lot, did you say her name was Najat?” she asked me. �śThat’s right, yes. She helped Ethan and me when we were trapped on Andros.” �śShe must hate them a lot to sell them out,” Dad said. �śI wonder what they did to her.” �śDo they have to do anything?” Megan said to him. �śImagine living the way their women have to live, being just a possession, effectively worthless. I’d certainly sell them out if I were in her shoes.” I thought of Mom. She hadn’t sold them out, far from it, she’d connived to get me into their hands. But now, had she changed? I wondered about that. She’d sounded different on the phone. I wished that I could talk to her some more. Maybe later. �śWhat do we do now?” I asked them. We were still standing just inside the store with the door wide open, the sound of fire and burglar alarms splitting the night, aided by sirens converging on the crash site. Before anyone could answer a truck drew up outside. �śThis is our transport. We need to get in the back as quickly as we can without being seen. I’m afraid this is just the first leg of our journey, we need to retreat and regroup,” Ulysses said. �śThey may think they’ve got us on the run, well, maybe it’s true right now, I guess they have got us on the run. But we have a lot of resources too, they haven’t even started to experience the kinds of things we can hit them back with. Come on, get into the truck.” We climbed into the dark back of the vehicle and the roller door slammed shut. The truck pulled away and I found something to hold on to. There were no seats and I felt as if I was being thrown around inside the drum of a washing machine, albeit without the water. I remembered what Ulysses had said. �śWhat kinds of things can we hit them with, Ulysses?” �śWe can hunt them, pick them off one by one. We have poisons we can use to finish them off. Like us, they can be killed with a stake through the heart, there are so many ways we have to kill them. We are much, much stronger, we have our night vision to track them, we can visit them in their dreams so that they’ll wake up terrified. We can even harness the forces of nature, send powerful storms to drive their cars off the road. Oh, they’ll regret the day they escalated things this far.” �śI’m sure they have ways to destroy us too,” I reminded him. I realized suddenly that I’d used the word �Śus’. I was one of the Amstrydae now. �śYou know what you are describing?” �śWar,” he said. �śExactly, a war of attrition,” I said. �śSure, we will get some of their people and they’ll get some of ours. It is no way to live, we have to find another way to resolve this. War is not the answer.” I knew that and I was sixteen years old, well, nearly.� How come adults didn’t realize? They’d say �Śgo to war’ like it was picking up a box of groceries. He didn’t reply, maybe he was totally shocked that I was coming across so strongly about avoiding a war. We drove on in silence for a while. Another thought occurred to me. �śWhere exactly are we headed?” �śCanada,” Dad replied promptly. �śWe’ve got a big place prepared in the middle of the forests.” It occurred to me that the Medusans had almost won. We had become fugitives, about to make ourselves prisoners of our own fears, our terror would become the walls that kept us enclosed. �śHow does that sound, honey?” �śIt’s only a starting point, Dad, that’s all. We will need to make plans and strike out from there, get this thing settled, once and for all. I have made my decision, whatever it takes, I won’t spend my whole life in hiding. Whatever it takes!” �śBut you just said war was not the answer.” �śNo, that’s right, it isn’t. There has to be another way and we need to keep hunting for it until we find it.” Chapter 10 I looked across the lake at the timber cabin that we had moved into. It was more than a cabin, more like a luxury, millionaire’s vacation residence, complete with heating, air conditioning and a host of luxuries. In front of the house, next to the lake was a jetty, at the end of which a seaplane was tied up. At the side of the house, I could just make out someone chopping wood, small tree trunks for the open log fire we favored when it was really cold, which was most of the time in these northern parts. The guy was stripped to the waist and I knew it was Ethan. I couldn’t read minds, of course, none of us Amstrydae could do that. But the powers I was developing gave me some kind of a mystical connection to my new family, I just knew certain things without knowing why I knew. My horse was a beautiful, strong mare called Storm. She was docile in my hands but underneath she had a fiery heart that could turn into a raging storm if a rider handled her in the wrong way. I tugged at her reins and began a long, slow canter around the lake and back to the house. An SUV had just drawn up, the one that Dad and Megan used when they went into town. � We had been here for nearly two months and so far I hadn’t been allowed to leave the environs of the ranch, but they constantly kept in contact with our people around the world and I hoped they’d brought some news. We had the internet of course, via a satellite link, but we didn’t use it to contact our people directly, just in case our computers were ever hacked. Unless it was important, we relied on messages relayed to us through a contact in the nearby town. I got back and unsaddled and watered my horse. I left her in the corral and went into the house. �śIs there any news?” I asked eagerly. �śWell, there is and there isn’t,” Dad said. �śFirstly, nothing from the Medusans, we are trying to make contact to start negotiating with them again, but so far there is nothing definite.” �śAnd?” �śYou’ve got to get back to school, it’s not good for you, being here on your own.” �śI’m not on my own, I’ve got all of you here with me.” �śNo, you need kids of your own age.” �śI’ve got Ethan, he’s my own age, I don’t want any other kids.” �śMaybe you don’t, but I’ve already decided, it’s something you have to do. So I’ve enrolled you in the local school.” �śYou what?” It was the last thing I needed, going to some local hick school with, with who? �śWhat are the kids like?” �śThey’re good, all of the local Native Canadian Indian kids go there, they’re really interesting if you take the trouble to get to know them.” �śI’m almost sixteen, I haven’t got time to get to know them.” �śExactly,” he fired back. �śTime is running out. It’s now or never, anyway, you’re going so you’d better get used to it.” The following Monday, Dad and Megan drove me fifteen miles along forest tracks to the local school. When we got there, it was a modern brick built building with an open sports field at the front and side of it. When he’d said lots of Indian kids go there, he had been telling the literal truth. They did, but neither did it seem any other kids go there except for the Native Canadians. And now me. They said goodbye and I went through the gate, along the track and into the building. There was a reception desk, I asked the woman sat behind it where I would find the Principal. I gave her my name, she checked me on the computer, and then directed me to the end of the corridor. She said the Principal’s door was marked. �śWhat’s his name?” I asked her. �śThe Principal? It’s not a him, it’s a her, Mrs. Thundercloud.” �śShe’s an Indian, or do I call her a Native Canadian?” �śOf course she is, most of the kids here are Indian, why would the Principal be any different? I am half Indian myself. By the way,” she smiled, �śyou don’t need to call us Native Canadians, we are all fine with Indian.” Careful what you say, Claire, I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. That was the story of my life, maybe I could get it right this time, if they’d only let me. �śThat’s great, I was only checking. Thanks.” I nodded and walked along the corridor and knocked the door. �śCome,” a voice called from inside. I walked in to see the Principal sitting behind her desk. She was a lean, wrinkled, gray haired woman with dark, piercing eyes. She looked directly at me and I saw a shadow pass across her face. That was strange. �śYou’re the new girl, Claire Winter?” I nodded. �śSit down, Claire.” She closed her eyes and I sat in front of her desk and waited. And waited. It was eerie. Her eyes opened suddenly, making me jump. �śI sense you are hiding from someone. Someone dangerous, someone that terrifies you.” �śWhat do you mean?” But she didn’t answer, just shook her head. �śHave you been here before?” I said that I hadn’t. �śYoung lady, the history of our tribe goes back thousands of years, did you know that?” �śNo, Ma’am.” �śI believe your people have a similar history. Perhaps it is something in the past I can sense in you. But no, it is not all in the past. Look, Claire, we will do our best to keep you safe here. Do they know where you are hiding?” That was too much, where was she getting this mystical stuff from? �śLook, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She smiled sadly. �śThat’s ok, Claire, I understand. Tell me when you are ready. Enough of that, I have assigned you to a mentor, a girl your age who will show you where everything is. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. I hope your time with us here is happy.” �śThank you, Mrs. Thundercloud.” She showed me my locker, took me to a classroom and introduced me to the teacher, Mr. Willoughby. He seemed a decent enough guy and I was sat next to my mentor, Fay Thundercloud. She was a pretty girl, obviously pure Indian with dark hair, dark, creamy skin and dark, flashing eyes. We shook hands and waited until after the class to get more acquainted. Throughout the morning, she showed me where to go and we sat together in the cafeteria for lunch. �śYou’ve got the same name as the Principal,” I commented. She smiled. �śYeah, she’s my grandmother.” �śIs that a problem for you?” �śNah, not at all, Granny’s really great, she just treats me like the other kids and lets me get on with it.” This school was different to what I’d been used to. When I went home at the end of the day I had a lot to think about, these people were somehow different. Like me, I guess. It was nothing I could put my finger on, more of a mind thing. Megan asked me why I was so quiet during the evening and I just told her I felt tired. But it wasn’t that, something was different here, those people in the school. I thought it was a good thing but, as I had been pursued halfway around the world by weirdoes I wasn’t prepared to accept anything on face value just yet. The Principal, how the hell could she know anything? Some instinct told me that I could trust her, but it was almost as if she was trying to look inside my head. No way, lady, no way. Not yet, not until I knew I could trust you. The following day I guess I was waiting for the sneers or the foot that stuck out to trip me up, but it didn’t happen. I had a pleasant surprise when I spoke to Fay. �ś Look, Claire, it’s my birthday today, I’m sixteen, I’ve got a little party this evening, why not come and get to know some of the other kids?” I was unusually touched by her obvious kindness and friendly approach. �śThanks, I’d love to.” After school I went home and got changed ready for Fay’s party. My short black skirt, my new �ŚCobra Starship’ t-shirt and a pair of high lace-up Doctor Martins over black tights. I checked myself out in the mirror and put on a necklace, the only one I had with me, and a bundle of wire bangles. I thought I looked ok, my hair was good and a bit of work with my makeup bag and I was ready. Thankfully, the weather was mild and dry, pretty rare in these parts and I was able to wear my jeans jacket, no need for an Eskimo Nell padded anorak. I went downstairs. �śWhere’s Ethan?” I realized I hadn’t seen him since I’d got home. �śHe had to go back home and check out some things at the house, he hasn’t been there since all this trouble started, you know,” Dad said. A feeling of suddenly being alone swept through me. �śIs he coming back?” I tried to make the question nonchalant, but I guess they all knew. �śSure, honey, he’ll be coming back, but he has to make sure his folks are ok. His Great Aunt is there too, I’m sure you remember her, he wants to see them all.” He hadn’t said anything to me, I hoped that he would be back soon. Maybe that was selfish, his family did need to see him and he had to know they were ok. But I couldn’t help the way I felt. Dad gave me a lift to Fay’s house. For once, I was away from our ranch with no bodyguards but he said no one knew I was there so I would be safe. We did the usual things that kids do, the party was in the barn, and there was loud music, plenty of lively chatter and some laughter and I danced with some of the other kids. As darkness fell, Fay’s parents came into the barn and someone turned off the music, we stood around in a semi-circle and watched. The Principal, Mrs. Thundercloud, was with them, hovering near the back of the barn. There were two other adults, both looked to be full-blood Indians. Fay’s dad started to give a speech congratulating her on her sixteenth birthday, then said some stuff about the traditions of the tribe, this was to be an important day and some stuff about their culture that I totally failed to understand. Then I looked around and a dawning realization hit me. I was the only person in the barn who was not a full-blooded Indian. � I heard her dad say, �śAnd so we will perform the blood ceremony of our tribe to welcome Fay as a full adult member of our community.” I watched fascinated as he took a tiny pin, like an acupuncture pin and pricked his finger, pricked Fay’s finger and held the two tiny drops of blood together. It was kind of similar to our own people’s ceremony, the one where they had inducted me into the Amstrydae. Then he went to each of the watchers in turn and did the same, the tiny finger prick and holding together of the two drops of blood that oozed out. He came to me and looked into my eyes. �śIt is up to you, Claire, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You are not one of us, and yet, there is something, something none of us can work out, a connection.” As he was speaking I felt it too, it was like an invisible magnetic force pulling me towards these folk. With most people, I felt quite the opposite, repelled, pushed away. But now I felt that I had been pulled towards this country, to this remote location, to this very room. What the hell was happening to me? He was still speaking. �śClaire, you can join with us in the ritual if you wish.” Suddenly, I wanted to be with them, to be a part of them, to feel some closeness, some warmth, maybe even some protection. I didn’t want to fight this, didn’t need to fight it, I wanted to go with it. He knew too, I didn’t know if some of these people could read minds but he had sensed in me a need, a need to belong, a need for the protection of a group of good, decent and honorable people. I put my hand forward and nodded. �śYes.” � He pricked my finger and held it to his own finger, I felt something surge through me as our blood mingled. There was something more, too, I couldn’t help my hunger, I sucked greedily at the blood as he released my hand. He stared at me with an amused look and offered his own bleeding finger. Before I knew what I was doing I had taken hold of it and was greedily sucking the blood. I let his hand go and he kept staring at me, then turned and went on with the ceremony. But the other adults had noticed, I saw them talking quietly between themselves. Later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the Principal, Mrs. Thundercloud. �śHow bad is this need to drink blood, Claire?” I shook my head. �śI don’t need to drink blood, that’s crazy.” She ignored my denial. �śWe had someone here before, they were staying at your ranch too. They were seen drinking the blood of animals they had killed, there was trouble.” �śWhat kind of trouble?” �śPeople were frightened about having a vampire in their midst, there was talk of hunting them down and killing them.” �śMrs. Thundercloud, I’m not a vampire, that’s nonsense.” �śWhat do you call yourself then? Claire, we have powers too, though we are not anything like as strong as the vampires. What is the name of your group?” I shook my head again. �śReally, I’m not like that, look, this is silly.” Then I realized that I had no need to deceive these good people, they wanted nothing from me, perhaps for the first time in my life. They had even accepted me into their trust, into the warmth of their shared togetherness. �śMa’am, I am sorry. You are right, but I can’t say anything without their permission, forgive me, I don’t want to abuse your hospitality or the trust of my people.” �śVery well, Claire Winter, but remember, you are now a part of us, and we are a part of you. We are now your people too.” Fay’s father, whose name was Rafe Thundercloud, brought round a goblet containing some sort of a cocktail, part of the ceremony was that we all had to drink. I swallowed the concoction, it tasted spicy, rich, and very herblike. It was not unpleasant. but just odd. It was then that my hallucinations started. I felt dizzy, a blackness descended on the barn and suddenly I wasn’t there, I was out in the forest. � There were wild animals there, wolves, but I wasn’t frightened of them, they seemed more frightened of me. I ran through the trees, suddenly I was out in the open, there was a bustling airport and I just walked onto the runway. An airplane came in to land and stopped right next to me. A couple of hundred people got off but they didn’t see me, they just walked right past. They were almost all men, there were perhaps four women, all dressed in black robes with veils. Then one of the men turned around to look back at his companions and my blood froze. The Grand Master. But he hadn’t seen me, he walked along with the others and they faded into the distance. Someone came around the airplane and walked towards me, it was Ethan. I ran to him and he held me tightly.� �śClaire, they are here, you must warn the others.” �śThe Medusans, here in Canada?” �śYes, they’ve located the ranch. Somehow they have knocked out our communications system so I couldn’t warn the others, it was just by luck that I found you in your trance.” �śIs that what this is, Ethan, a trance? I’m not asleep in my bed at the ranch?” �śNo, you are still at the party in the barn. When I leave I’ll wake you up, you must go back and warn them.” �śHow will you wake me up?” But he had gone, faded away. It was just me, standing on an airfield next to a passenger jet. There was nobody in sight and everywhere was deserted. Then I felt a sharp jolt, as if my insides had been churned in a blender and I was back in the barn, surrounded by my new friends who were looking at me with expressions of astonishment. I remembered the Medusans. �śI have to go, my family and friends are in trouble, the people I’ve been hiding from are coming.” Rafe Thundercloud didn’t even flinch or blink. �śAre there many of them?” I thought back to my dream. �śI think about two hundred.” He nodded. �śWe will get you back to your home to warn them all, in the meantime I will get my people out to help.” �śBut why, why would you do that? It’s not your fight.” �śDo you not recall the ritual of blood? You are now of us and we are of you. Your fight is our fight.” I shook my head. �śBut Rafe, that’s not fair, your people could get hurt.” He smiled. �śWe’ve been getting hurt for hundreds of years, we’re used to taking the knocks. But as I said, it is no longer a choice for us, you are of us, your fight is ours. We are sworn to protect our own. Daniel, Zeke, take the truck and go with her back to her home. We will follow you later.” Two young men of about mid-twenties stepped forward. The first shook my hand.� �śI’m Daniel, looks like we are your bodyguards.” The other guy stepped forward and shook hands, introducing himself as Zeke. They led me out of the barn and we got into a truck and raced away. I dreaded what I would find when I got back, but the ranch was all quiet. I raced through the front door shouting, Daniel and Zeke came behind me. Everyone looked up in alarm. �śClaire, what’s the matter? Who are these people?” Megan asked. �śThey’re looking after me. Listen, there’s no time, it’s the Medusans, they’ve found us, they’re on their way!” The room erupted into action and Ulysses started shouting orders. �śGuy, unlock the guns and make sure we are ready, the rest of you start packing, we will need to leave. How long do we have?” he asked me. �śI don’t know, I’m sorry. It was all in a dream message from Ethan.” �śRight, we’ll have to assume we haven’t got long. We can be out of here in two hours, I hope that’s enough.” I went up to my room and packed my precious laptop, the only possession I really had these days. Then I went back downstairs. The house was boiling with activity, cases brought down ready, guns being checked, loaded and stacked against the wall. Zeke went to look out of the window. When he spoke his message was chillingly final. �śYou’re out of time, they’re here.” I rushed to the window. A long line of four-wheel drive SUVs was driving along the track towards us, there were at least ten of them, behind them were three large buses, laden with people. Silence descended on the ranch house, everyone stopped what they were doing. We were trapped. �śThe float plane,” Dad said urgently to Ulysses. �śWe can get her out on that.” �śNo, we can’t,” he replied, an embarrassed look on his face. �śThe fuel pump stopped working yesterday on the flight back here. They only barely managed to land. We’ve ordered a new pump, but until it arrives that plane is going nowhere.” �śSo what do we do?” �śWe fight, that’s all there is left.” The Medusans finally arrived in the yard at the front of our house. Their vehicles made a huge, solid barrier to stop any of our cars from escaping. They got out and advanced to stand in a wide ring around the house. There were, as I had seen in the dream about two hundred of them. Four of them stepped forward carrying axes and sledgehammers and they approached the house. Four more followed them, carrying hunting rifles. Our men slammed the shutters closed and picked up their own guns ready to fight to defend our home. And to defend me. Then we waited for the blows to start hammering on our log cabin. None came. We waited some more and still nothing happened. Ulysses lifted a shutter and looked out. We all heard him gasp. �śWhat the hell is going on?” I heard him say. �śThere are more of them, many, many more. Where did they come from?” I looked out. Although it was dark I was able to see quite clearly. Outside of the ring of Medusans was a much larger ring of people, maybe two thousand of them, it was an incredible sight. �śThey’re not Medusans, they’re Indians!” I shouted. �śWhat are they doing here?” Dad asked me. I explained to him about the ceremony. �śSo you are part of them now?” I nodded. �śApparently, that’s what they said to me. Dad, they are great people, they really mean it. I honestly think they are here to protect me.” There was a loud knock at the door and we all jumped, but a voice called out to us, �śIt’s ok, it’s Rafe Thundercloud.” Ulysses unlocked the door and looked outside. He was alone. �śCome on in, Rafe.” The Indian stepped into the ranch house. He looked slowly around at all of us. �śI see. You are all the same as Claire, you are all of the vampire tribe.” Ulysses started to protest but Rafe held up his hand. �śNo, do not try to deny it, we do not feel threatened by your kind. We would never listen to the old nonsense about running around at night and kidnapping people for their blood. We have had similar tales told about us over the years. We know who you are and what you are. We are here to help. What would you like us to do?” �śHelp us get rid of these invaders, they are called Medusans, by the way.” �śAre they vampires too?” Ulysses shook his head. �śNot exactly, but they’d like to be.” He briefly explained to Rafe why they were here, to kidnap me and enslave me as a brood mare for their future generations. Rafe’s expression darkened. � �śThen they are foul creatures, we will certainly do everything we can to help rid you of them.” Rafe opened the door and called in five of his people. They stood and talked to Dad and Ulysses about how best to deal with the Medusans. In the end, they nodded agreement and went to open the door.� �śWhat’s happening?” I asked Dad when he came over to speak to me. He smiled. �śThe Indians are coming to an arrangement with our people. They are going to take over the whole of the ranch as their tribal territory. That gives us government protection. They are also going to designate it an ancestral site, which will mean that the Medusans are absolutely forbidden from coming anywhere near here. If they do, they could wind up with long prison sentences. Claire, when you formed an alliance with these people you certainly made some powerful friends. It is strange, almost as if it was pre-ordained. Did you have any idea what you were getting into?” I shook my head. For a time there was a standoff. Eventually, when the agreement was finally sealed we opened the door again, the Medusans still standing there, waiting silently to seize an opportunity to attack. At the front was the ominous figure of the Grand Master. I remembered with horror that time in the cell when I’d thought that he was about to rape me. Now, he was seething with anger. Good, tough luck, buddy. This girl’s not for the taking. �śIf you think you can get away with this, you are very wrong. We will wait here until you hand her over to us. We are not leaving without her. Do not think your friends will protect you, if necessary we’ll fire the cabin to get you out.” As he was speaking, we heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. He looked around in alarm. It flew nearer and in the lights of its fuselage we could see the emblem of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the floats slung underneath the cabin. The chopper settled down on the lake near to our float plane and the pilot steered it to shore. Two Mounties jumped out and walked up to the house, glancing around the huge crowd. They both nodded to Rafe Thundercloud. �śRafe, what’s the deal here, we had a report of a mass land invasion?” Rafe explained about the people who had come onto tribal Indian land. �śWe thought it was private land, Rafe.” �śNo,” he replied. �śThat is only an agreement between our tribe and those we allow to stay here, they have connections to our people, we are related by blood. These people,” he indicated the Medusans, �ścame in their vehicles to cause trouble. To be honest, we are not sure what they want, maybe they think they can steal our land. Whatever it is, it is to cause trouble. We want them to go.” It was clever. Without admitting any weird tales of vampires, Amstrydae and Medusans, he had painted the Medusans as simple troublemakers, perhaps land grabbers. For their part, they could hardly admit that they were here to kidnap me. It was an elegant solution. The Mounties went to speak to the Medusans, we could see the Grand Master talking quickly and gesticulating at us. He grew heated, we could hear what he was saying. �śOf course we have permission to enter Canada. No, we do not have our visas with us. We are citizens of Greece in the European Community. No, I know that does not entitle us to enter Canada, but�Ś” �śSir, for the last time,” the Mountie said loudly. �śWhat are you doing on Indian land without a permit or their permission, and what are you doing on Canadian soil without being able to produce valid visas?” There was more arguing, then the Mountie’s stern voice rode over them. �śI am putting you all under arrest prior to being deported from this country. Do not go near your vehicles until my people are here to escort you away. Now stand still and shut up! If any of you are holding weapons, put them down or you may be shot.” We waited for two hours until truckloads of additional Mounties arrived. They shepherded the Medusans away in their vehicles. It seemed like a miracle that they had gone. �śRafe, you and your people have been fantastic, we’d have been lost without you,” Ulysses said. �śIf you ever need our help, we will be glad to give it, anytime. You only need to ask.” �śIt is no problem and I will bear your offer in mind,” he said. �śI think you are safe now, our people need to get home.” I saw Mrs. Thundercloud, the Principal, push her way to the front of the crowd, she came up to speak to me. �śYou make sure you are in school in the morning, Claire.” �śYes, Ma’am,” I replied. And I would, too. � It occurred to me that it was the first time I had spent in any school without snotty kids hitting on me. Now why was that? The crowd dispersed and we started to take down the defenses and put away the guns. I went to bed, I felt safer, for the first time in a long time. Not completely safe but better than I had felt in a long time, safe enough to fall into a deep sleep. Ethan came to me. He stood before my bed, the same Ethan, my Ethan, dressed as usual in his jeans, t-shirt and black sneakers.� �śClaire, you did well tonight.” I looked up startled, then relaxed when I saw him there. �śYes, well, my new friends did well. Thank you for warning us.” �śNo problem. Hey, look, it’s cold out here.” I smiled and pulled back the bedclothes. �śCome on in, then, but this had better be a dream.” He laughed, �śYes, it is a dream, I’m back home in the USA.” He climbed into my bed and I held him tightly, letting the warmth of his body smooth out the jagged edges of my soul, left raw by the endless fear of attack by our enemies. �śWhen are you returning here, my darling?” �śSoon. My work is almost finished here.” �śHow long will you stay this time?” He hesitated. �śThere are many more problems facing us right now. I will stay as long as I can, but when I am needed I will have to go away again.” �śWhat kind of problems?” I asked him. �śClaire, the Medusans won’t just give up. We need to keep working to find a permanent way forward to stop the endless battle between us. We were lucky this time, the next time it might not be so easy to stop them.” I didn’t recall that it had been so easy to stop them this time, but I said nothing. � �śBe patient,” he continued. �śYour powers will grow and soon you will become very strong.” I didn’t want any powers, there was only one thing I needed. �śHold me, Ethan, hold me tightly, I want my body to melt into yours.” His arms tightened on me and I felt the tension and fear drain away. I knew then that I would either have a life with him, or I would have no life at all.� I had no idea then what the future would hold for me, or for my people. They said my powers would develop, maybe they would, maybe not. I had the ability to see in the darkness, perhaps there I would develop no further powers, or would I? What I needed right now was the ability to see into the future, but no one had that second sight, did they? I had a sudden thought flash, I was on a hilltop, surrounded by hundreds of my people. Below, there was rank upon rank of Medusans, more than anyone had thought possible, threatening to attack. What a strange vision, where had that come from and what did it mean? I shivered.� I decided that I could only live my life one day at a time. Whatever the future held for me, where I would live, even in which country, I had no idea. Dad had left me once, would he go away again with Megan? And Mom, I needed to talk to her desperately, something didn’t fit, of course she’d tried to betray me but the last time I’d spoken to her I’d sensed her wanting to tell me something, what was it? I had a hundred questions, a thousand. And so far, only one answer, only one thing in my life that I could rely on, the rock I knew would always be there for me. Yes, I did have that. Ethan. ***** The procession of vehicles drove over the bridge and crossed back into the USA. The immigration officer checked their passports and visas, but each had a valid visa for America, issued in Greece, part of the European Union. �śWelcome back to the US,” he smiled at the older man in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle. The Grand Master just nodded, unsmiling. He turned around and passed the documents to the veiled woman who sat quietly in the back seat. � �śTake care of these, Najat. We will need them again when we leave the USA.” �śAre we going home, Grand Master, back to Greece?” �śYes, we need to make a new plan. The Amstrydae are not the only people who can recruit allies, I plan to raise a force that can destroy those filthy vampires forever and we will take that girl for ourselves. Then we can have their powers and live forever.” �śWill that mean us women as well can live forever?” �śNo.” �śWhy are the Amstrydae so filthy, Grand Master?” �śWhat? Be quiet, Najat, you ask too many questions for a woman, I am growing tired of your nagging voice. Otherwise I shall get myself another wife, perhaps two, I will force you to act as their servant.” �śI apologize deeply for offending you, Grand Master.” �śJust remember whose property you are,” he grunted. Then he spoke to the driver. �śWho do you think we should approach? The Columbians, the drug people?” �śYes, Grand Master, they would be a good choice to destroy the Amstrydae.” �śYes, I think so too,” the Grand Master said, �śI’ll get someone to contact them.” Behind him, Najat listened carefully to everything that was said. Were not the Columbian drug lords really filthy, why were her people even contemplating working with them? Wasn’t it time now to make her escape from this life of misery? But then she would not be able to warn the Amstrydae and that pretty young woman could suffer a horrific fate. She remembered her own rape in the bed of the Grand Master so many years ago. It was not a pleasant memory. The pain still came to haunt her in the night. � � No, she would stay with him for now and just watch them. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10